The issues with dieting

• You feel too hungry
• You can’t eat your favourite foods
• You avoid social events
• You overly restrict yourself
• You can’t sustain it
• You don’t enjoy eating your diet food
• You can’t sustain it
• You feel guilty for eating something ‘bad’
• You get miserable
• You can’t sustain it
  
  

When dieting you may feel hungry, you are after all trying to eat less than you are used to. Fill your meals with green, leafy veg and protein to help you feel fuller. Drink more water, even carbonated or maybe even have a diet/zero fizzy drink. We say to kids to not have fizzy drinks before eating as it will fill them up. Well, put that to the test and have one if you are feeling peckish. It won’t trick your body into thinking it’s getting sugar, you just need to watch out for your teeth.

If your favourite food is chicken and broccoli then crack on. If your favourite food is chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream then you may need to watch your intake. But you can eat your favourite foods, you just have to put it in to your plan or keep it in check. If you currently eat four portions a week, then you may need to reduce down the size of each portion or get rid of two, bam! 900 calories saved.

Whether you have removed alcohol, are avoiding carbs, not eating meat or just having your diet shake meal replacements, social events may seem daunting. But roll with it, unless you are socialising 4-5 nights a week (and even then it just takes a bit more planning) you can still enjoy a drink or food with friends. Go for the vodka soda instead of the pint or be bold and have the soft drink. Also most menus now come with calories shown in the margin, make the smarter choice and stick to your goals or go for your favourite and bank some calories earlier in the day. If your diet is causing you to avoid these situations then it is not sustainable.

By labelling food good or bad you immediately start to associate a psychological feeling towards it. It is all about context. If you were shipwrecked on a desert island and all you had to eat was a box of donuts then they would be the best food ever. But if you have a doughnut with friends at a coffee shop then you seem to have to justify your choice by saying that you will “make up for it later” or verbally state that “it’s just your weekly treat”. No one really cares what food you choose to eat. They only care when it is going against what they believe or when they feel bad for not making the same choice as you, it is their issue, not yours. There is no reason to feel guilty for eating anything. You have made a choice, if you feel sluggish or bloated after eating something then don’t feel guilty just try to make a different choice next time.

You may get miserable on a diet. You are sick of not eating all the foods you love, missing the nights out with friends, drinking the same liquid diet shakes everyday, the feeling of hunger constantly or the battle everyday to not eat the whole pack of biscuits. Then I refer you to the above paragraphs. It doesn’t have to be this way. You have to admit that you need to make changes otherwise you wouldn’t be in this situation. But do so in a way that makes it sustainable. Yes, stop buying the biscuits in the first place (out of sight out of mind) and yes, you probably can’t drink a bottle of wine a night (but do you really need to) but consider all of the above and start to change.

Until you really want to change you will keep finding excuses and reasons not to start. You are in control and you can do more than you think, but why make it so hard on yourself that you will find it difficult to succeed.