9 clever tips for a successful diet

9 clever tips for a successful diet

With so many diet fads being advertised as a miracle weight loss promise, we may forget the real reason why we should watch what we eat. Calorie-counting or choosing foods by type in order to lose weight should never be the priority; the real scope of watching what we eat should be to discover which foods offer the greatest rewards in terms of good health and energy levels, then the weight takes care of itself. 

9 things to consider when making changes to your diet:

  1. Think nutrients, not calories. It is better to focus on proper nourishment which will drive us to healthier foods and lower calories naturally. 
  2. Be realistic. You need to ensure that any diet changes you make fit with your food preferences, tolerances, budget, availability and even religious and cultural traditions. 
  3. Make changes that can be maintained long-term. There simply are no short-cuts, and if you can't maintain the diet, you will not be able to maintain the weight target.
  4. Make healthy habits your priority. Make time to have breakfast, to prepare a healthy lunch instead of buying junk food from the take-away, and to include exercise in your schedule.
  5. Successful habit change. Change one eating habit at a time, so that you have better chances of sticking to it. Most diets fail because there is too much drastic change happening at the same time. 
  6. Slow and steady wins the race. Crash diets simply send your metabolic rate and digestive system into emergency survival mode, meaning you will end up burning less calories and storing more fat than if you ate and exercised in a reasonable way.
  7. Accept that it will be a challenge. Breaking old habits to cultivate new ones means getting out of your comfort zone... just until it becomes second nature.
  8. Be consistent: You need to test new food trends for at least 2-6 weeks to identify their effect on your body. 
  9. Test and measure. Make your diet adjustments one at a time and measure in once a week, whether this involves weighing in on the scales or simply assessing how your body is reacting and you are feeling.

Furthermore, sometimes elimination diets can work wonders to identify food intolerances that have been contributing to your broad waist line due to bloating. Include mindful foods elimination in your new eating agenda and see if it helps.

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