Diet advice might be difficult to give because trends come and go. If you’re thinking about modifying your diet, the amount of contradicting information available can be daunting. From your neighbors and your coworkers to celebrities and nutrition gurus, there are books, blogs and numerous success stories advocating one approach over another.
The fact is that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is highly individualized. It’s possible that the diet that helped your best buddy lose 20 pounds isn’t the greatest choice for you. So, before you start, we asked dietitians and health experts for their advice: How do you choose a diet that would work best for you? Here’s what they had to say.
Diet Planning 101
What Are Your Goals?
Starting a diet will change your life, switching your eating habits is not an easy project. Before establishing a diet you need to set straight goals. Goals will allow you to focus. In goal-setting theory according to Edward Locke and Gary Latham (1990), goals not only influence behavior and work performance, but they also assist in mobilizing energy, resulting in an increased total effort that leads to more consistent gains.
I would suggest focusing on several little goals rather than a big central goal. Having little goals will keep you motivated when you achieve them.
Short-Term Goals
– Drink water
We all need water, whether we are on a diet or not. When you are on a diet, water will help you feel full and since water does not contain calories, you don’t have to worry about how much you are drinking.
If you are not used to drinking a lot of water, I suggest you download a water tracker app onto your phone to remind yourself to drink water every 30 min or so (depending on the settings).
Drinking a glass of water 30 min before a meal can help you to reduce your food intake.
– Control Portion
If you are like me, you need to follow this tip. I tend to eat everything that’s set before me. So, controlling your portions will help you to eat less. To start you can use smaller dinnerware, which will help you eat slower and less
If you are used to measuring your food, you could divide your normal portions (keep in mind that your goal is not to starve yourself).
– Eat More Veggies
Eat your veggies and fruits, they will be your best friend during your diet (and even after). Vegetables provide a lot of benefits, and they are lower in calories too. So you can eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, which will keep you full for longer.
Whenever you are preparing your veggies, avoid adding to much oil. Try to go for grilled or boiled vegetables.
Will You Need Support?
Some people like to keep it to themselves when they go on a diet as if it is something to be ashamed of. Whether your diet goal is to gain or to lose weight, you will need support. Changing your diet will not be easy, so you will need social support to encourage you. Various studies show that people with support reach their goals more easily.
There is various support available right now, some gyms come with their own social support group or online groups that may help you. It does not matter, you want to make sure to be surrounded.
Choosing the right diet is very important. Most people do not think twice about it, but diet is closely related to your health and should be taken seriously. Let us know in the comments whether you are following a particular diet and how you’re getting on with it…
