Just like you, I hate diets. Although they may help you lose a few pounds quickly, they don't work in the long run. If you have tried to lose weight in the past, you know how hard it is, not just to lose it initially, but to keep it off. Research shows that only about 20% of people who diet are able to successfully keep the weight off for more than a year. If you look further out, that statistic gets even worse. Successful weight loss requires a lifestyle change.
Let's be honest, it's not just your food choices that caused the weight gain; It was the way you ate. It may have been binging, eating straight from containers, in front of the TV, or emotional eating. And what about the people in your life? Are they setting a healthy lifestyle example? Everyone has a unique matrix of factors and triggers that enabled them towards unhealthy lifestyles.
Here is the good news: You have the power to create a healthy, sustainable lifestyle that will enable you to lose the weight and feel great. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Effective long-term change is incremental and takes time. Don't trust anyone promising rapid results. Weight gain happens from bad habits, over time. Losing weight quickly makes it more difficult to keep it off. A lifestyle change, as opposed to a diet, will improve your health in the long run.
- Plant-based foods (Fruits, vegetable, legumes etc.) are less calorically dense than animal-based foods. This means 100 calories of vegetables is a bigger volume of food than 100 calories of beef, making you feel more satiated. For this reason, and the many other health benefits of plant-based foods, I recommend an all vegan diet. But you don't have to go cold-tofurky, I can help ease you into it.
- Most people benefit from working with a professional such as a dietitian. A skilled dietitian can help you identify and overcome the lifestyle factors blocking your progress. We can work together on mindful eating and other healthy habits.
Are you ready to get healthy, and create a new lifestyle?