How To Maintain Your Diet

The following always happens, regardless of how well you intend. Two weeks into your new diet, you’re elbow-deep in potato chips and guzzling a two-liter bottle of soda. Instead of getting frustrated, Dr. Nandi is offering up some advice on maintaining your diet, no matter what.

Forget the Fads

From no carbs to raw foods, fad diets set you up to fail. By strictly limiting what you can and can’t eat, you deprive yourself of foods, making you more likely to cheat, or worse yet, binge. Instead of opting for the newest weight loss diet you see on Facebook, start focusing on making healthier choices. To make the best options possible, pick lean meats, lots of vegetables in various colors, and foods as close as possible to their natural state. Avoid processed foods and those with a lot of white sugar and flour, and you’ll look better, but you’ll feel better too.

Enlist Your Friends

Those who get healthy with a group of friends are more likely to succeed. Friends motivate you when you’re feeling lazy or down on yourself and keep you accountable. Consider a social media accountability group if you’re not looking for a workout buddy. With daily interaction and support, you’ll be more likely to stick with it and help others do the same.

Track Your Process

When people are trying to lose weight, they often focus too much on what the scale says, and that’s no good. As you become healthier, your body will change, but the numbers on the scale don’t always show it. Don’t get down on yourself. Instead of using your weight as your measuring tool, consider other things. Observe how your pants fit, take pictures before and after, and record your measurements. When those pounds are stubborn, you have different ways to track your progress.

Plan Ahead

You don’t leave for a vacation without planning your trip, so don’t start your fitness journey without a plan either. Plan your meals, have snacks prepared, and keep things out of the house that will tempt you. Additionally, being aware of your weaknesses can help you avoid times and places where you’re most likely to cheat.

Regardless of why you want to diet, at Ask Dr. Nandi, we want you to become your own health hero and stick with your goals.

Partha’s Rx

• Reduce your portion size.
• Fill half your plate with vegetables.
• Drink at least 60 ounces of water a day.
• Don’t eat while doing mindless activities.
• Eliminate empty liquid calories in energy drinks and sodas.