In North America, we have come to expect instant gratification in all aspects of our lives. People are accustomed to getting what they want when they want it.
Likewise, when people are looking to lose weight or change up their diet, they expect evident results immediately, maybe even anticipating the best body of their lives within a very short period of time. I see countless individuals extremely changing their diets for two weeks and then, in hardly any time, reverting to their original eating patterns.
Contrary to popular belief, maintaining weight loss and a healthier diet is not a trick or secret you can follow daily, something you can purchase in five minutes, or something you can achieve within two weeks of an extremely restricted diet. In the pursuit of a “perfect body,” people forget that achieving meaningful weight loss and a truly healthy body goes beyond a short season of aesthetic satisfaction.
Rather, you can maintain weight loss and/or achieve a healthier body through an ongoing—and joyful—journey!
The importance of sustainability
Now, let’s talk about what sustainability has to do with the diet. Sustainability refers to the ability of a system to maintain and continue in a forward direction.
The word sustainability is usually used in the context of biological systems, such as a forest or river. So what does sustainability have to with your diet? Well, the sustainability of a diet refers to a person’s ability to maintain consistent food intake. Strict dieting opposes this concept, because it promises unrealistic changes for short periods of time, and although this approach may yield some desired changes within the body, it is not a beneficial perspective with respect to personal health.
How can you follow a sustainable diet?
Namely, by incorporating realistic changes into your diet slowly.
For example, a sudden shift from consuming 3,000 calories a day to consuming 1,200 calories a day is going to confuse and upset the hormones in your body, and while this change might bring on immediate weight loss, in the long term, that sudden drop from 3,000 to 1,200 would put the body into shock and likely lead to extreme cravings, mood swings, and binge eating.
As part of a better approach, dropping 100 to 300 calories weekly would promote maintained weight loss, allowing your body time to adjust to the changes.
Tips and tricks for a healthy lifestyle
Here are some tips and tricks to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle:
- Make both long-term and short-term health goals that have measurable achievement markers. Don’t just say you want to “eat healthier” Be more specific. What does that mean for you? Do you want to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet? how many more servings? Or do you want to limit your sugar intake? How will you do that? (e.g., limiting yourself to one or 1/2 serving of dessert so you can still enjoy sweets but in moderation.)
- Set small goals weekly or bi-weekly that are attainable and measurable for your own situation. Setting weekly goals keeps you focused on your end game and ensures that your changes are slowly incorporated into your diet.
- Eat real food. On the one hand, don’t resort to foods that are, really, nothing more than foodlike products. In other words, avoid overly processed or refined food products that resemble nothing in nature and provide ample calories but negligible nutrition. On the other hand, don’t subject yourself to cardboard-tasting dishes with no flavor. Experiment with cooking and learn how to make healthful and wholesome foods taste great. Enjoying the foods you eat is important to developing eating habits that last a lifetime!