They reel you in with flashy promises, like lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, never have cellulite again, the diet to end all diets, cut carbs and find happiness, but after it’s all said and done, you never seem to lose as much weight as they diet says you’re supposed to.
You may lose 5 pounds over 2 weeks, but you still aren’t happy.
So, you pick another to try and start down that road again.
No carbs, no coffee, no fruit, no protein, high protein, drink only protein shakes, have this cleanse, etc, etc, etc!
The list and gimmicks are endless.
But they never seem to work for you in the long run.
Here’s why:
They don’t teach you what to do once the diet, the challenge, the cleanse ends. They lay out tough to meet guidelines, but you go after it for 2 weeks to 30 days, you get slightly discouraged when you don’t see the same result, and then go back to what you were doing before the diet/challenge/cleanse started.
How discouraging!
They aren’t working for you because they are too strict, make you change too much at once, and don’t help you once you lose the weight thus making you gain it all back.
So, what should you do?
Start small. Find the easiest, the smallest thing you can change today, like cutting out that snack you mindlessly eat before bed, or skipping that frappuccino in the morning on the way into work, or that 2pm soda. Start small and make it something easy.
Once you feel confident with that, add something else in. Maybe extra vegetables with dinner, or a 15 minute walk twice a week. Slowly start to increase those healthy habits, like extending your walks for another 15 minutes, or adding vegetables to lunch and see where it takes you.
When you take something away completely and make it off limits, you create deprivation and cravings. Slowly ween yourself off of the soda, the excess snacks and such, but when you feel like having them, just do it! Honor that hunger and craving!
Weight loss and diets can seem so overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Start small and see where it takes you.
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