When you hear the word diet what do you think? The first thing I think is temporary. Doesn’t it make sense that any habit that you introduce into your life temporarily offers only temporary results? If you cut out carbs for a month and go back to eating carbs the following month you just gain the weight back and sometimes if not always gain more.
Diets usually involve cutting calories or cutting a food group or even worse trying a magical pill of sorts with who knows what kind of side effects. Logically thinking this doesn’t even make sense. When someone tells you you can’t have something or you can’t do something what’s your first reaction? Isn’t it…I want! I want! I want!
So you want to lose weight and/or be healthier? Instead of thinking about what you shouldn’t do or what you can’t have, think about what you should do and what you can have.
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SO WHAT ARE THINGS YOU SHOULD DO?
- Clean out your kitchen and get rid of all the unhealthy food that has sneaked into your cabinets, trust me some of that processed food is stealth as shit. Don’t forget about the secret hiding spots…you know you have at least one. Seriously, let’s be honest.
- Stock your kitchen with whole foods.
- If you do want to keep or buy processed foods, pick a few of your favorites. Try picking your top five (preferably less) processed foods and enjoy those as a special treat every now and then.
- Read the ingredients in any processed food you’re even thinking about buying. You’ll be surprised about the amount of chemicals and additives that companies throw into all of that so called “food”.
Exercise and exercise some more. Try integrating fitness into your day:
- Park further away when you go places so that you have a longer walk because every step makes a difference.
- Do 20 jumping jacks before you hop in the shower.
- When you’re standing in front of the stove cooking do calf raises, when your washing dishes do a squat between cleaning each dish or pan.
- Go on a walk after dinner with your roomie, spouse, neighbor or even just yourself. Again, every step, every movement counts.
(I do live by and recommend a vegan diet, so my list below is based on that. However, if you are not ready or wanting to adopt a vegan diet yourself that is entirely your choice. I do highly encourage everyone to lean into it though, meaning eat a little less meat and dairy and eat more veggies! Even a little change can make a difference! Try starting dinner with a serving or two of vegetables before you dig into your choice of meat for the evening. You’ll probably eat a little less meat than originally planned and you’ll eat more vegetables! In my book that’s a win-win!)
SO WHAT ARE THINGS YOU ‘CAN’ HAVE?
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Beans + Legumes
- Whole Grains
The great thing about eating a plant-based vegan diet with little to no processed foods is that the old mind set of calorie restricting is not even worth a second of thought. When you are eating a whole foods vegan diet you can just eat more. Eat more vegetable eat more fruits, eat more whole foods! So when your hungry, EAT!
So the next time you’re thinking about trying a new diet, don’t. Why not? Because diets are wack! The next time you’re flirting with the idea of a new diet think about what changes you can make to your lifestyle instead.
What lifestyle changes are you interested in making? Let us know below in the comments.
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