How to make healthy eating sustainable

(and avoid the January 1st diet resolution culture)

I love the Fall! For those of us in Texas, it’s a relief from the extreme heat, but even better, it’s the warm and fuzzy time of the year with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I hate that food is so heavily promoted during the holidays, then as soon as January hits, you’re bombarded with ads telling you to GET HEALTHY. LOSE WEIGHT. BUY A TREADMILL. You can enjoy the holidays and the things you love as long as you have the right mindset.

A bit of background for you: I was once 220 pounds. I was baking cakes every other day and I was so miserable it consumed me. I couldn’t get throughout the day without constantly thinking how awful I felt about myself. It took away my confidence as well as desire to even speak to people because all I thought about was how they would look at me and think, “Wow she’s so fat!”

I eventually decided enough was enough and I did lose the weight...and gained it back...and lost it and gained it back. Four years later and I’ve lost the pounds and kept it off.

Want to hear the crazy part? How I really kept it off? The real trick is to STOP DIETING! The diet mentality is where I kept failing. As soon as I would lose the weight, I’d stop the healthy habits that helped me obtain my desired physique. I was forcing down extremely healthy foods that I hated and exercising in a way I didn’t enjoy. I hated it. It was only a temporary solution and ultimately, I would gain back the weight I’d lost AND more.

So now you’re probably wondering if I’m still eating things I hate and forcing visits to the gym. I can happily say that I love my life. I love the foods I eat and the workouts I do. It is a huge part of my lifestyle. I am never “on a diet” and I don’t punish myself for eating sweets or having a drink when I want one.

So, to help you, here are a few tips to help you transform your life from fad diets and Yo-Yoing weight:

1. Create a lifestyle that works WITH you… Find things you enjoy doing physically. If you’re making yourself lift weights, or do hours of cardio, you will not continue. It just isn’t sustainable. However, if you enjoy hiking or rock climbing, it’s much easier to get up and be active. Find a way to move a bit each day that isn’t a drag. If you don’t enjoy it, find something you DO.

2. Make better choices… It may sound obvious but keep good snacks at hand that you also enjoy. Sometimes in a state of hunger we grab the first thing we can (chips, cookies etc.). Not only do those not fill you and your actual bodily needs, but you’ll be reaching for more food faster as junk food doesn’t fuel your body as well as healthy fats, carbs, and proteins. If you don’t like salad or avocados there are other options. Also, don’t be fooled by fancy packaging or labels-KNOW what you’re eating. Sometimes something simple can be cheaper and better for you like a boiled egg over that restaurant salad secretly spiked with calories.

3. Create a POSITIVE relationship with food… Being on a “diet” automatically puts you in a bad relationship with food. It actually makes us obsess over food more, creating more room to fail, slip, or binge. Dieting is a negative term and makes people feel poorly about themselves. “I’m on a diet.” Who says that and is actually happy about it? Diet also means temporary. Lifestyle, clean eating, healthy living are long-term ways to LIVE life. Yes! I can move, eat well and have that drink with my friends and STILL feel good about myself.

4. Enjoy and move on If you’re really maintaining a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, you will be able to eat foods that are good for you and also foods you love. It’s about balance, not punishing yourself later for enjoying some treats. You can have a cookie or piece of cake at a party, but don’t go nuts. Have it, enjoy it, and continue to move and make good food choices. Don’t starve yourself all day then binge crap. Also, remember that everyone has off days. We live in a culture obsessed with food. If you do have a day or two where you go off the rails, just take a step back and start again the next day. Its longevity. One or two bad meals will not ultimately kill you, however, ditching the healthy habits you are setting yourself up with will.

Get out of the vicious cycle of fad diets and New Year’s resolutions and instead create a LIFESTYLE that works with you and your goals. It is a day-in-dayout situation, not a 30-day cleanse.