Have you ever changed, or tried to change, the way you habitually
eat? Most of us connect the word “diet” with “weight loss”, but people
adopt particular diets for a number of reasons: these could be related
to your health (which sometimes necessitates weight gain), your finances
(eating more cheaply) or particular ethical or environmental concerns.
If you’ve ever been on a diet you’ll know that commitment is crucial.
Many of us have been trying to lose a few pounds for years, often
half-heartedly “dieting” again each Monday, and never making much
progress. Others might manage to stick with a regime for a few weeks,
only to come unstuck at the first vacation, birthday or party that comes
along.
Here are some ways to stay committed to your diet:
Set Out Your Guidelines
If you’re following a vegetarian diet, be clear with yourself exactly
what that means. Do you eat fish, for instance? How about eggs? Do you
make sure the cheese you buy is vegetarian? There aren’t right or wrong
answers here – and yours will probably depend on your reasons for
adopting a vegetarian diet.
You can ask yourself similar questions about veganism and raw foodism – where are you drawing the lines?
For those trying to lose weight, you might want to forbid certain
foods some or all of the time. For example, you might decide that you’ll
only eat chocolate on weekends, or that you’ll avoid full-fat cheese
altogether. (Tip: don’t try to be too restrictive – many weight-loss
dieters find this is counter-productive as it can lead to binging.)
Record What You Eat
If you’re struggling to stay committed to your diet, recording what
you eat is a great way to keep on track. You don’t need to keep an
elaborate diary or journal: in some cases, you might simply tick days on
the calendar when you’ve stuck to your guidelines.
Keeping a log of your eating patterns can also help you to identify
particular times or situations that tend to knock your commitment to
your diet. Perhaps you always end up eating fatty, salty processed foods
with a particular group of friends, or maybe you tend to succumb to
candy in the afternoons.
Join With Like-Minded Friends
There are thousands of groups, both physical and virtual, for all
sorts of different diets. You could find a local vegetarian, vegan or
raw food association, and attend meetings: if your friends and family
don’t support your diet, this is a great way to surround yourself with
people who do. If you can’t meet up locally, try looking for forums or
email groups online. You might want to start at VeggieBoards, which includes areas for vegetarians, vegans and raw foodists.
If you’re on a weight loss journey, you might find that attending a
local club helps you to stay committed – especially as most have
weigh-ins! Weight Watchers
is the best-known chain of clubs, but there are plenty of other
options, so hunt around for something that suits you. Again, there are
lots of free online forums where you can get support and advice about
losing weight and sticking to your diet.
Make Gradual Changes
In some cases, overhauling your diet instantly isn’t going to be
realistic. You can get healthier and lose weight by making incremental
changes – you don’t have to be “perfect”. A great resource for making
gradual, step-by-step changes is 31 Days to a Better Diet.
And in many cases, you need to take it slowly for the sake of your
health. If you want to be a raw foodist but currently eat an omnivorous,
mainly cooked, diet, your body will need time to adjust gradually:
don’t try to switch to 100% raw food overnight:
An abrupt change to a raw food diet can cause detoxifying symptoms such
as weight loss and a lowering of blood pressure. It is best to gradually
transition to a raw food diet by including more fruits and vegetables
in the daily diet and gradually decreasing the amount of cooked foods. (Is a Raw Food Diet Healthy for an Athlete?, Darlene, Bright Hub)
Are you currently on a diet, weight-loss or otherwise? How’s it going? How do you keep yourself committed?
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