Stop Dieting, Start Eating

If you’re having a hard time with sticking with your diet over the long term, you’re not alone. 

At times, dieting feels impossible. It works great for a couple weeks but then you fall off and have nothing to show for it. 

So here’s the problem… you ask 10 people what diet they are sticking to and you will get 10 different answers. 

They would tell you to do intermittent fasting, go on the keto diet, cut out all sugar and dairy, etc. 

ALL of that is useless when it’s vague and it doesn’t work with your lifestyle. This article will break down the methodology for making your diet a lifelong change that you can be proud of and also educate you on why most people fail to stick to it. 

1. You must know exactly WHY you want to do this diet in the first place.
2. You need to turn your goals into a plan
3. Build a Fence, Not A Jail Cell
4. OPTIONAL but HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Getting feedback and accountability

Step 1: Knowing Exactly WHY you want to do this diet

This is obvious but often overlooked. Your reasoning for eating healthier has to make sense to you. Having this strong sense of why will come in handy because not everyone in your life will understand your desire to get into better shape and adopt a healthier lifestyle. 

You may encounter people that try to guilt you into eating better… having this strong why will help you stay strong through that.

So why are you starting your diet?

It could be to lose weight.

Maybe you want to be generally healthier.

Or maybe you want more focus and energy throughout the day.

GO BEYOND THE LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Often, people will stop with, “oh I just want to look better”. This surface level motivation is not enough to sustain you. 

Think 6 months into the future and imagine what your life would look like if you were able to stick to the plan perfectly over that time period. Probably amazing!!

It might be to be a better example of your kids so they grow up healthy or self-confident. It could be so that you can have more energy on a daily basis so you can make more money and provide better for your family. 

These are REAL WHY’s that will propel you through difficult times. 

Step 2: Turn Your Goals Into a Plan

 Everybody has a couple of small goals they try to implement… this could be cutting out junk food, stop snacking, eat more vegetables, whatever it may be. 

The disconnect happens when you stop there. There needs to be a plan. 

If you decide to stop snacking, how will you do it? Will you stop buying snacks? Keep it out of your house? Or just rely on pure willpower?

The question is how will you actually change your habits and lifestyle in order to achieve the goal. 

Step 3: Building a Fence, Not a Jail Cell

The curse of fad diets… The story is always the same. Someone tries a crazy diet, they get results, but then they fall off and they’re back to square one. 

This is usually the result of treating your diet like a jail cell. You’re locking yourself in this miserable cage of a diet. It’s super restrictive and it sucks to be in. So it’s no wonder that when you “escape” and indulge yourself in something that you never want to go back to that place. 

So we try to help people build a fence. The fence in your backyard serves a purpose. It protects you and allows you to peacefully enjoy your yard. 

In the same way, having a sustainable nutrition plan will give you a set of parameters that you can stick with that will get you amazing results. But there may come a time when you need to leave the fence and indulge in something, maybe a pizza or a cake. But you still have no problem returning back to your fence. 

The 5 keys to building a fence are:

1. Avoid Fad Diets: Life is not all or nothing. Find a diet that is easy for you to stick to. You can progressively make the diet more restrictive or more flexible as needed. 
2. Prioritize protein & vegetables. If you have a serving of protein and a serving of vegetables at every meal you will be lightyears ahead of most people’s diets. 
3. Eat Whole Foods. They are more filling and more nutrient dense. Ensuring you get the most bang for your buck from your food.
4. Indulge In Your Favorites. In moderation, you can still enjoy your favorite treats and snacks.
5. Cut yourself some slack. Again, life is not all or nothing. This is a lifelong process. It’s better to accumulate some small wins over time than go boom or bust in an ugly cycle your whole life. 

This is exactly what we do inside of our Build Your Legacy program. You will work on developing this sustainable nutrition plan with a coach that you can implement right away. 

Grab a spot on our calendar here to talk with one of our coaches about what these strategies might look like in your life. https://training.legacy-method.com/book-a-call