Advantages of A Healthy Lifestyle vs. Dieting
The way to total health is through complete generosity. It's about taking care of your mind, your body, and your spirit. When you are generous to your body, you nourish your body with physical activity, good foods, water, and sleep, so that you have plenty of energy to meet life's daily challenges.
Your eating and lifestyle habits are what makes you put on weight, so create good habits. When something is a habit, you don't have to think about it. You just do it. You don't talk yourself out of brushing your teeth. You don't forget to have your morning cup of coffee. Make small lifestyle changes which will last forever. You don’t have to change your whole life, unless you want to obviously, but you can add a few small changes which can make a big difference. The problem about maintaining the weight is in the whole ‘dieting’ concept. You follow a weight loss diet/plan/regime for a certain amount of time and then you stop, and then what? Most weight loss diets tend to be more specific and are for a limited amount of time. Use such diets to get to a weight loss routine or to kick start your plan but don’t depend on them. Escape the ‘diet’ and adapt that into an everyday habitual eating which will still promote weight loss and weight management. Finding a method to achieving slow and gradual weight loss will not only be sustainable for long-term weight loss goals, but will also have no negative impacts on your health, leaving you succeeding, rather than crashing.
Here is a list of adaptions that you can start incorporating in your everyday routine, to begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle:
Cut down your portions and consume fewer calories
Introduce greens and vegetables and reduce chips and breads (refined carbs)
Adopt some exercise in your week
Instead of deep frying you food, roast or steam
Don't binge: If you start giving food a special role like a reward then you are creating ‘food’ habits and perceptions which then you are struggling to break. You don’t have to do the ‘man v food’ challenge on the take away night and consume all the weekly calorie allowance in one sitting. Ex: If you believe that the deep fried chicken covered with triple cheese and chips (an imaginary dish for example) is your reward for doing well then this automatically becomes something special which then you have to convince yourself that you must not eat all the time, so then it feels like you punishing yourself.
Don't obsess: You want to lose more weight, you weigh yourself every day, you are like a maniac with calorie counting and before you know it your stressed out self will have enough. Do weight yourself once a month just to keep in touch with your weight and if you notice a big difference (not a couple of lbs!) then be slightly strict for a couple of weeks. Obsession will only make you hate weight loss! Well done for working hard and losing weight but don’t obsess. You can sustain the weight by keeping to some healthy habits and still enjoy life.
Exercise: Exercise alone is not the answer to weight issues and just because you exercise it doesn’t give you the green light for eating just about everything under the sun (in one sitting). If you do follow some good exercise principles you will gain both health and weight related benefits. Exercise can contribute in a number of ways which can all help in maintaining the weight loss. Apart from increasing your metabolism and the calories you use daily, it can boost your confidence, help improve psychological health. Sometime these things are more important than calorie counting in losing and maintaining weight.
Motivators: Why did you lose the weight, what got you through the weight loss, what motivated you to start and finish it? Whatever your motivator was, is it important to you? Then write it down and stick place it on any wall in your home. Keep reminding yourself what was so important and why you worked hard to make the changes in your life.
Most importantly, throughout your journey, love yourself! Regardless of your shape or weight you want the best for your body. It's not about being skinny or overweight, it’s about being happy and healthy and loving whatever it is you have, because if you love what you have you will look after it and you will want the best for it. Continue to be generous to your mind, body and spirit and the rest will fall into place.
Meet Jean Titus
A serial entrepreneur and former financial advisor, Jean Titus discovered his purpose and passion through the heartache of losing loved ones far too early. He lives his mantra – “We rise by lifting others” – daily as a life coach and Personal Trainer. Jean brings a simplicity and practicality to his work, helping clients draw on their strengths to realize the one thing money can’t buy – good health and wellness. Follow him on Instagram and his fitness journey!