Do you ever feel like you’ve lost control? No matter how much you diet and exercise, you still seem to have a little extra around your midsection, and the scale doesn’t seem to show a different number.
There are reasons why you might be struggling to lose weight, but where there are reasons, there are solutions. As tempting as it might seem, you don’t have to throw up your hands and walk away from a healthy lifestyle. You can take control of your health and diet.
Here are a few tips for getting back on track and regaining control over your health and diet.
- Make a mental change
Start by thinking about your health and fitness goals. When you’re healthy and fit, what does that look like? Now, think about why you’re doing this. Make a list that it includes both your goals and reasons behind them. Keep it accessible, so you can review it whenever you’re feeling weak.
Once you have your goals and reasons, it’s time to face some harsh realities. Why hasn’t any health or diet plan worked in the past? What was the exact moment that it broke down? Why did that happen?
Maybe your connection with a certain food was too strong, or maybe you faced hard times and attempted to fix things with comfort food and binge-watching Netflix. Whatever the reason, this is your crutch. This is exactly what you need to fight against whenever you’re making changes to your diet.
- Make aggressive choices
Some people work well with baby steps, but if you want to feel like you’re making a major impact, you’ll need an aggressive change. Think about what a truly healthy lifestyle looks and feels like and try to imitate that. Be aggressive about your daily choices. Bagel or oatmeal? Elevator or stairs? These are small decisions, but if you’re ruthless about them,
This takes a major commitment to change, and it involves a lot of thought. Before you eat anything or make any health-related decision, think about its impact. Is this something that helps you achieve your goals, or will it detract from your goals?
This will help you stay away from the obviously bad choices, but it should also help you avoid those sneaky processed foods that are masquerading as health foods.
- Build healthy new habits
Whether it’s a morning vegetable smoothie or a quick workout, add at least one healthy new habit to your routine. This is one area where it makes sense not to overdo it. If you add a lot of complicated steps to your day, you’re probably not going to stick with the plan for long.
If you aren’t already exercising, exercise is the perfect place to start. It’s difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle without some form of exercise.
- Build a support network
Everyone has had a friend who is a diet sabotager. And if you haven’t, consider yourself lucky. This person will invite you out for an ice cream date or get tickets to the food festival as soon as they find out you’re on a diet. Your inner circle can either make or break your plans.
Try to surround yourself who will support your healthy habits.
- Quit bad habits
If you have any bad habits that are standing in the way of good health, quit them now. This is the only way you’re going to be successful with a full lifestyle change, so it’s time.
Bad habits include things like drinking alcohol, doing recreational drugs or smoking cigarettes. And if you have trouble quitting, find a treatment center near you.
There are many things in life that are beyond your control, but your diet and lifestyle are not among them. Take control over your own health, and you can start living a healthy life.
