Want to lose a little bit of weight? You’re not alone. Many people who try to lose weight hit plateaus, reach goals, regain weight, and enter the vicious cycle that is dieting in general. What if we told you that the best way to reach your goals was to change your mindset and simply stop dieting?
Dieting Doesn’t Create Results
According to the Journal of Obesity, only 20% of people who diet maintain their weight loss after one year and that number decreases even more at the two-year mark. This study didn’t even include people who dropped out of their weight loss programs, so the stats are likely even worse. Diets in and of themselves take a ridiculous amount of time and energy to maintain, often creating strange and restrictive eating habits. What’s even worse? Researchers from Psychosomatic Medicine say that worrying about your weight and your diet creates cortisol, which creates more fat around your waist. Ouch!
Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes
The truth is that small lifestyle changes made over time are more sustainable and are more likely to stick. Cut out soda one week; drink more water the next; take short walks the third week; start increasing the lengths of your walks, etc. You don’t have to wake up on a Monday morning and completely transform your life. You won’t be able to keep up with all of the changes at once and – quite honestly – it’s stressful. Find a friend or recruit your spouse so you can make healthy lifestyle changes, slowly but surely, together over time. There are no quick fixes when it comes to your lifestyle.
Decide on your goals, break them into short and long-term goals, create a reward system for sticking to your plan, and get started. It’s easier to transform your lifestyle permanently than it is to diet.
