Don’t Diet!

By now we all know (or should I say I hope we all know) that eating an extreme diet or severely restricting food choices is perhaps one of the biggest mistakes we can make if we’re trying to lose weight (and keep it off)! Although you can initially lose weight on almost any diet, the minute you go off the diet, all the weight comes back—and more! This makes long-term weight loss nearly impossible and leads to discouragement and frustration. The best way to lose weight is to adopt healthy new habits and not think of these new changes as a “diet”, but rather as a new way of eating. Start slowly by working on these basic issues:

• Avoid fast food, processed foods, and junk foods like the plague! Replace these empty calories with real food.
• Eat smaller portions (this is easier to do when you’re eating real food because it is more satisfying).
• Eat more vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds
• Eat more lean protein; it will help you feel full longer
• Increase consumption of “good” fats such as omega-3’s while avoiding “bad” fats such as trans fats and polyunsaturated fats

Dieting doesn’t work because by definition it is restrictive. By focusing on what you can’t have, it sets you up for defeat. Instead, focus on adding more of what you can have and get back to basics by enjoying fresh, seasonal foods and cooking at home more often.