To diet or not to diet that is the question, typically followed swiftly by a resounding no.
For most people, dieting is not fun nor is it always easy to stay on track. It can be hard to stay motivated, but it’s not impossible. Diets weren’t designed to ruin your life, they’re meant to help you become a healthier and happier you, so you can wake up in the morning and be content with yourself. Below are five quick tips to help you maintain your goal and slightly ease the pain during this Thanksgiving break.
Set Reasonable Goals
A reasonable goal can be anything you want, it doesn’t necessarily have to be weight loss. The purpose of a reasonable goal is that it’s something you can control and decide and work with your schedule. For example, a reasonable goal might be having a salad one day for lunch, then the next week you up it to two times a week then three. Or it might be attending a studio class at the gym. Whatever your reasonable goal, make it work for you, and remember don’t stress out if you don’t reach your goal sometimes life gets in the way, it happens.
Invoke the Buddy System
Dieting or detoxing instantly becomes easier when you’re not alone. A buddy not only helps you stay on track, they understand your hunger pains. A buddy can be your roommate, your best friend, your significant other or even a coworker. The purpose is to have someone who will complain with you, console you and knows you’re normally a nice person but day one was harder than you thought.
Allow a cheat
Cheats are important, especially this Thanksgiving! During a hard week, a cheat may be your only motivation. Cheats should ideally occur once a week, if it becomes routine than you need to reevaluate your diet or change your cheat. One way to stay on track with your cheat is to think about it ahead of time that way you can be sure to stick to it, for example maybe one night after dinner you eat dessert, but the next week you skip gym day.
Plan ahead
One of the reasons diets seem so hard is lack of preparation. There’s an easy solution for this: plan ahead. It means planning out meals and then going to the grocery store for ingredients. It means clearing your house of junk food. It means signing up for a gym membership or scrolling through Pintrest for workout routines. A schedule will you not only help you stay on track it’ll make the entire process less stressful.
Water
Water will save you. Not only will water help curb the hunger pains you can spice it up with berries or lemon or cucumber. Adding a water detox to your diet can help you stay on track and it’s also beneficial for your body. Tea is also a great drink during a diet since its water based and certain kinds like ginger or lemon help curb hunger. Carry a water bottle around that you can fill up on the way from the bathroom, a place you will be frequenting more often.
Instead of looking at diets as the bane of your existence think of it as a chance to get creative, a break from your normal routine and lifestyle. Diets are essentially a way for your body to recharge and clear itself of impurities. And just because you can’t drink doesn’t mean you can’t bust a move, besides, no drinking means no hangover equals more time doing activities you normally put off or tackling homework with a clearer focus.
In the end maybe you’ll find certain meals or exercises that you enjoy and become part of your routine. No matter, how long you plan out your diet make sure it’s something that works for you, not only should it be beneficial but it should be doable. In the end what’s most important is that you are healthy and happy.