So I thought I would share some of what I have learnt over the past year and a bit. Enjoy! And most of this is my personal opinion so... do with that as you will.
10. So called “diet food” do not work.
From my
experience, they just leave me feeling hungry. I think back to when I was
working in Vancouver and I would bring these pitiful little lunches full of these diet foods. I was never satisfied and would always go out and buy something
else. Usually candies or Starbucks or any other thing that was high calorie, it’s
surprising to me that I didn't gain weight.
You are much
better off filling yourself up with fruits and veggies or other items that will
keep you satisfied.
9. It’s not a “diet”
Like many people
who have lost weight successfully, I have come to hate the word ‘diet’. With
the word comes the connotation that this is temporary. If it is temporary it
will eventually stop, and then what. More than likely you will go back to your
old habits and the weight will come back. In order to be truly successful you
need to make lasting changes, they cannot be temporary.
8. Don’t be too restrictive
There is a
good quote from New Rules of Lifting: Supercharged “any diet that leaves you
hungry will probably fail sooner or later.” While he is talking about
increasing satiety by eating foods that will make you feel full longer, the
same can be applied to diets in general. If you are constantly hungry, eventually
you will not be able to sustain that way of eating.
If there are
foods you can’t live without, then don’t. Keeping these foods in your diet will
help you in the long term, but it has to be done smartly. Don’t go overboard.
If you must have something then make sure it fits in your day/ week/ month.
But if you can’t
stop at just one, then maybe it’s best to stay away until you can.
7. Learn to say “No”
Even if you
aren’t being too restrictive there will be times where you have to say no. You
may have to say it to the person in the office who constantly bringing in homemade
baked goods or maybe to yourself when you feel like having a late night binge.
Regardless, knowing when you can or cannot have and having the voice to say so
is important.
6. Plan ahead
If you are
tracking your calories, log the whole day in advance. You can always change it
if you make different choices, but being able to see how much room you have in
your day will help you say no to those daily temptations.
If you are
going out to a restaurant and are concerned about what to eat, look up the menu
beforehand. Many chains have nutritional info. And if they don’t, make the best choices you can and don't worry about it. You can't avoid restaurants all the time so might as well learn to deal with it.
5. The food scale is your best friend.
One of the
keys to success is portion control. Eyeballing most things won’t cut it. Even
if you don’t use the scale for everything all the time it is still great to get
an idea of what a portion is. It’s an eye-opening experience to see how much a
serving of cereal really is. Or cheese for that matter. :(
4. Do what works for you.
Everyone is
different, and what works for me won’t necessarily work for you. You will have to find your own path through
trial and error, but once you do you will have no problem achieving your goals.
3. Do Research
There are so
many resources available online that you are doing yourself a disservice by
going at it blindly, or just following one method. Look at what is out there,
good or bad and make your own assessment. Find the way that will fit into your
lifestyle and your goals.
2. Learn about TDEE and BMR.
Following from
above.These two numbers are probably the most important numbers you need to
know.
To help you
out here are some of my favorite links:
1. Don’t sweat the small stuff
We all have bad
days; it’s what you do the next day that makes the difference. Don’t let one
bad day derail you because in the scheme of things it doesn't really matter.
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