Jumpstarting Your New Year’s Resolution Diet

So here it is the beginning of February and maybe things haven’t gone as planned. Or maybe its June and you need to get back on the wagon. I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and some of you have found yourself struggling and some of you are still haven’t found a way to get started again but a lot of people out there are trying to recapture that magical feeling you felt on the first day of your diet. The magical moments in the first weeks and months when you felt SO STRONG and SO ALIVE!

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you know I’ve had my share of ups and downs along the way. Learning from our mistakes leads to personal growth and I’m sharing a few of my big mistakes and how I’ve learned to overcome them and give myself that mental and spiritual boost I needed to make me fight another day and I’m sharing the ways that I get back on track…and you know I’ve had to get back on track many many times.

Turn back a page in time

You may not realize it but by blogging you’re making a record of what works for you and what doesn’t. While I don’t share my menu I do try to enter my food into sparkpeople every day and keep a record of what I’ve have to eat and how much physical activity I’ve incorporated into my day. I'm looking back at successful weeks and using those menus for this week. Take a look back and see what you were doing right. Did you blog about how great you felt? Read those words, read YOUR words and reclaim that victory and use it to fuel you. Read the blogs of others and see what has them motivated and borrow a little bit of motivation from them. Motivation is a wonderful contagious thing and people are often willing to give encouragement if you just ask.

Ditch the all or nothing mentality.

Don’t make your diet an all or nothing venture. This mindset and mentality is a sure set up for failure. Diets shouldn’t be painful because they should be about creating a new healthy lifestyle. If you’re doing something that you can’t or won’t stick to long term then it’s time to think about looking at other choices. This process shouldn’t hurt. I may be uncomfortable at times but I’m learning that being a little bit uncomfortable is what I need from time to time to push me out of my current mindset and into a positive frame of thinking. There are going to be times when you eat something you shouldn’t and in the past I’ve let one bite of something lead to weeks or months of laying down and wallowing in self pity, self loathing and a vat of ice cream. What I’ve learned from reading so many success stories is you must make the recovery time on a slipup fast. If you fall, get back up again, dust yourself off and keep moving. One bite of something doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Even a whole meal that is off plan doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Get back on track the next meal, not the next day.

Out of sight out of mind

Stock up on healthy foods and have them in plain sight. I moved the fruit from the bottom drawer to the top of the refrigerator in a bowl. Now the first thing I see when I open that fridge is a beautiful bowl of colorful fruit. You wouldn’t plan to dig a ditch and forget to bring a shovel would you? The same is true with healthy eating; you need to have the right tools to get the job done. Whatever plan you pick, know your plan, read the book and know what go to foods you need to have on hand to make yourself successful.

Get moving

The other day MizFit was talking about exercise and reminded us that every little bit counts. 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there and 10 minutes in between still adds up to 30 minutes so even if you can’t do 30 minutes, do something. Do anything. I started off walking down the block to the corner, and then around the block. I now have several routes that I walk around my neighborhood that I’ve mapped out on map my run and I know how far I’m walking. Yes its called map my run but you don’t have to be a runner to use it and if you don’t tell them you aren’t jogging your route I won’t either. I’ve found myself doing little things I would have skipped out on before out of laziness. I park further away, I walk my cart back to the store, not the nearest cart return and I sneak in exercise where I can because it all adds up.

Set a deadline to start

If you know in your heart of hearts you aren’t ready to start a healthy lifestyle for whatever reason then don’t lie to yourself or anyone else and say you are. You’re only setting yourself up to feel like a failure and when you fail over and over and over again, it takes its toll on your psyche. No you don’t have to be ready to jump in and give it your all today but set a reasonable deadline to start. If you tell yourself that you’ll be ready to start living a healthier lifestyle in a week then circle that day in bright red on the calendar but as you work your way up to that date but promise yourself that you’ll do something healthy for yourself every day leading up to that start. It could be as simple as eating a healthy breakfast.

Baby steps

Make a list of what you need to do to live a healthy lifestyle. You might include things such as eating a healthy breakfast, meal planning, counting calories, exercise, eating whole grains, eating a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day, ditching trans fats or foods with hfcs. Once you’ve made your list pick a place to start. Keep it reasonable. Don’t tell yourself you’ll start off doing an hour of exercise per day, start at a level that is good for your current fitness level. Then map it all out on a calendar. When I got started I promised myself that the only thing I needed to do for a whole week was eat a healthy breakfast. I like to start with the healthy breakfast because if I start my day off right, the rest seems to fall into place. Then on week 2, I ate a healthy breakfast and started eating healthy whole grains, brown rice instead of white rice and whole grain bread instead of white bread. Week 3 I was eating a healthy breakfast, eating whole grains and making sure I had enough fruits and veggies. Week 4 I started walking…you get the idea.

Actions speak louder than words 
You don’t believe me? Read this post from Lyn  and this post from Chubby Chick  and there are more of you out there. I know I’m not alone, they aren’t alone, you’re not alone either. The little actions add up. I’m not an expert but I know what it takes to lose weight and keep it off. Wanting to lose weight isn’t enough. Knowing how to lose weight isn’t enough. If wanting were enough I’ve be thin and healthy. I know how to lose weight but I don’t always take the actions necessary to get me there. I’m working on that process now.



Never give up!

I think the single most important thing I’ve learned is that living a healthier lifestyle doesn’t have to hurt. I don’t feel deprived and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. With careful planning you can eat great and still enjoy celebrations and learn to work towards a healthier you. But it takes work. There is no magic pill. The only person who can do this for you is YOU. Only you can control what the fork (or the fingers) deliver to your mouth. Only you can do the little things that add up. Wanting isn't enough. Wishing isn't enough. It takes action. Never ever give up.