The moment you stop dieting you will have major success in your health journey. A diet usually produces restriction and binge cycles instead of countinuous nourishment. You have to switch out your foods and retrain your tastebuds to crave nutritious foods. (That really does happen!) Our bodies crave what we give them continuously. If you adopt an attitude of nourishment you will find yourself in the kitchen instead of avoiding it. It is so freeing. Here are my top 3 tips to starting to switch your food to gain a permanent healthy lifestyle.
1. Start slow to prevent withdrawals. Withdrawals are bound to happen if you diet and give up everything cold turkey. Start to eat clean just for breakfast. Then breakfast and lunch. Then breakfast lunch and dinner. However long it takes to progress to the full day is up to you when you feel ready.
2. Add in a lot of green veggies. Eat more not less. You can eat as many green veggies as you would like. They prevent hunger, give you micronutrients, and are very low calorie. Try ADDING these to your day if you are just starting:
- Spinach smoothie: frozen banana, 2 cups spinach, and water. This will blast away hunger, hydrate, and give you 2 servings of veggies. Plus it is pretty good!
- 2 cups steamed broccoli dipped in 1 TBS teriyaki sauce (mr yoshidas is my fav)
- 2 cups Brussels, asparagus, cucumber, celery, or lettuce.
Make a goal that you will eat 6 cups of veggies! (Notice how I said eat not cut out) Obviously a cookie tastes better than veggies. Eat them before your meals. I sometimes have to force it! This will fill you up and then satisfy your tastebuds with the rest of your meal. Nourish first satisfy second!
3. Eat clean at home always. Have fun at social events that revolve around not so healthy foods. If you have a rule that you only eat clean at home you don’t have to refuse to participate and enjoy yourself when these events come up. It will provide balance both mentally and physically. Keep the memories and fun that come with party meals!
Hope this helps!
Love,
Carli 