Dieting won’t work

It’s been proven time and time again that dieting just doesn’t work. Sure, we can drop a few pounds in the short term, but long-term weight loss relies on sustainable habit change, not an acute, restrictive diet.

Here are 4 ways that you can work to improve your nutrition habits without restriction. They may seem small on their own, but they pack a mighty punch over time.

1️⃣ Try an additive approach.

Rather than looking to restrict calories or your favorite processed snacks, think about how you can get more of the foods that will truly nourish your body. You know the foods I’m talking about: protein, vegetables, and fruit. Focus on eating more of these foods first, then allow yourself the occasional treat if you’re still hungry.

Action item: Order a side of vegetables at a restaurant. Eat your meal guilt-free, but eat your vegetables first.

2️⃣ Find the lower calorie option.

Fat-free, sugar-free, they’re not the be all end all, but if you can’t tell the difference between fat free greek yogurt and 2% greek yogurt, choose the fat free. If you make these swaps with a few different foods (diet sodas, lower sugar desserts, low fat dairy), you’ll be surprised by how much those calories add up!

3️⃣ Eat your favorite foods.

If you love ice cream, the goal is not to cut it out of your diet completely, it’s to learn how to have ice cream in moderation. Restricting foods leads to resentment and shame. The foods you love the most are the foods that are most important to keep in your diet. One tactic is keeping these foods out of the house and only having them when you decide you really want them. We want eating our favorite foods to be deliberate, not accidental. That way we actually enjoy it.

Some of my favorite foods that I absolutely enjoy often while still having a “healthy diet”.

4️⃣ Remember that the foundation we’re created must be flexible, not rigid.

Nutrition is a life-long journey, and rigid habits only last so long before they completely crumble. Flexible habits may not be as expedited a process as rigid ones, but they’re built to last. And we know that long-term consistency will always achieve better results than short-term intensity.

I hope you can see the common theme here: advice that encourages restriction, fear, and/or shame to achieve weight loss is a huge red flag. Sustainable weight management is about long-term consistency of flexible habits.