Diets suck.

They suck for one major reason. They are short term solution to a lifelong symptom.

Recently with the Royal Wedding a new diet sprung up called the Dukan Diet which Kate apparently used to lose weight in the lead up to the wedding. This high protein diet includes a very dramatic protein-only week for the first week.

If dieters survive the sudden energy drops and possible constipation, they are then allowed to reintroduce a small select variety of vegetables to their diet. Most people don’t eat anywhere near enough veggies so we can assume that this phase is extremely torturous too.

If you survive these two phases you can then start introducing some more foods back into your diet. However, now you’re not restricted by as many rules is becomes very easy to start slipping back into your old food habits. Before you know it the scales are going up again instead of down and you’ve put on 10kgs.

It seems rediculous but this is what happens to most people (including myself) when they come off a diet.

Evil scales

The Solution

The solution is simple. Most diets out there are such a drastic change from your existing diet that major weight loss occurs in the first couple of weeks. This is designed to suck you in.

You lose a lot of weight at the start and you go and tell everyone about it. A few weeks later the weight loss becomes less and less each week and you lose interest. Slowly old habits start resurfacing and your back at square one.

The trick is to do the opposite. Gradually introduce each change to your diet so that you can maintain those changes long term.

Here are four simple steps to follow in increasing your chances of losing weight and keeping it off.

1. Knowledge – Buy books like The Primal Blueprint. These will give you your end goal and tell you the important why’s of changing your diet.
2. Step by step – All things in life begin with a single step. Make the task of losing weight as wasy as possible by only making small changes one at a time.
3. Publicity – Tell everyone in your office, write it on Facebook, tell me. Make yourself accountable by telling as many people as possible that you are making this change in your life. It’s also a good way to find out who really cares about your health and who doesn’t. Keep talking to the positive people in your life about your changes to keep motivated.
4. Consistancy – This is perhaps the most important step. Once you have made a change, don’t stop after a few weeks. After time it will seem strange to go back to your old ways once new habit form.

Plan

Write your plan of attack today. Just change one small thing each week for the next 12 weeks.

It may be as small as cutting out that lamington you eat in the morning. Don’t think of it at a ‘diet’ but simply just eating healthier.

But for *insert diety here* sake don’t wait until Monday to start. Start tomorrow!!

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Image: puuikibeach