Publications
Partners
1. You give up too easily
Day 3 of your diet and all is peachy until your colleague walks in with a box of freshly made doughnuts. Suddenly you forget about your yogurt and muesli in the fridge and instead, scoff down one – okay, two – of the sugar-coated deliciousness. And then it sinks in – you’ve cheated. So you quit.
A challenge faced by even the most ardent dieter is their lack of staying power. One slip-up and many of us end up throwing in the towel on our weight loss goals.
Fix it: Had or want a cheat meal? Don’t beat yourself up about it – the odd treat consumed in moderation will not ruin your entire week of success. If you’ve eaten more than what you should have, then simply put in some extra time at the gym, or walk it off. Remember that none of us are perfect; the important thing is not giving up!
2. Your goal is only temporary
Your holier-than-thou cousin and her fiancé have finally set a date which means you have too. Only your date is more about losing your love handles than losing your, er, virginity in three months time.
Dieting specifically for a wedding or special occasion is all good and well, but if your weight loss is merely a quick-fix instead of a lifestyle change, then chances are that you’ll pile on all the weight again as soon as you return to your old eating habits.
Fix it: Make eating nutritiously a lasting goal – you’ll achieve a smaller waist and you’ll benefit from your new, healthy habits in the long-term.
3. You are eliminating a food group
No rice, no potatoes, no bread. Carbs are the devil, you’ve been told, so this is the route you will take. If only you could resist that yummy-looking
pasta…
Cutting out foods such as carbohydrates are popular fad-diet tricks and while they deliver fast results, they are often difficult to stick to.
Fix it: Instead of banning certain foods from your diet entirely, eat them in moderation. A good eating plan gives scope to ALL of the major food groups and more importantly, it is something that you will be able to follow forever!
4. You are only focused on eating better
You’ve been following your eating plan religiously for the last month, but the scale’s stopped budging. You’ve reached a weight loss plateau and your dieting success has suddenly come to a standstill. What now?!
Successful weight loss is a combination of healthy eating AND regular bouts of exercise. Adding fitness to your goal will help to keep you motivated and because it increases your metabolism, you’ll see results faster than dieting alone.
Fix it: Incorporate exercise to your regime at least three times a week. Joining a gym is not your only option – you can whittle away the inches by walking, jogging, dancing… the list is endless!
5. You are an emotional eater
You just found out that your ex is seeing someone else. Never mind dieting - to make yourself feel better, you camp in front of the TV with a tub of gelato and a bottle of wine.
You eat because it helps relieve stress. Many of us are guilty of burying our feelings behind food and for most; it’s a natural response to dealing with trauma because when we were little, our parents consoled us with a bar of chocolate, a packet of chips, a biscuit…
Fix it: Break the mould of eating to numb the pain and deal with your emotions by doing something that will benefit your state of mind - try exercising, journaling, or even talking to friends.
Can you relate to any of these diet pitfalls? Share your experience, difficulties, tips and suggestions in the box below.
Day 3 of your diet and all is peachy until your colleague walks in with a box of freshly made doughnuts. Suddenly you forget about your yogurt and muesli in the fridge and instead, scoff down one – okay, two – of the sugar-coated deliciousness. And then it sinks in – you’ve cheated. So you quit.
A challenge faced by even the most ardent dieter is their lack of staying power. One slip-up and many of us end up throwing in the towel on our weight loss goals.
Fix it: Had or want a cheat meal? Don’t beat yourself up about it – the odd treat consumed in moderation will not ruin your entire week of success. If you’ve eaten more than what you should have, then simply put in some extra time at the gym, or walk it off. Remember that none of us are perfect; the important thing is not giving up!
2. Your goal is only temporary
Your holier-than-thou cousin and her fiancé have finally set a date which means you have too. Only your date is more about losing your love handles than losing your, er, virginity in three months time.
Dieting specifically for a wedding or special occasion is all good and well, but if your weight loss is merely a quick-fix instead of a lifestyle change, then chances are that you’ll pile on all the weight again as soon as you return to your old eating habits.
Fix it: Make eating nutritiously a lasting goal – you’ll achieve a smaller waist and you’ll benefit from your new, healthy habits in the long-term.
3. You are eliminating a food group
No rice, no potatoes, no bread. Carbs are the devil, you’ve been told, so this is the route you will take. If only you could resist that yummy-looking
pasta…
Cutting out foods such as carbohydrates are popular fad-diet tricks and while they deliver fast results, they are often difficult to stick to.
Fix it: Instead of banning certain foods from your diet entirely, eat them in moderation. A good eating plan gives scope to ALL of the major food groups and more importantly, it is something that you will be able to follow forever!
4. You are only focused on eating better
You’ve been following your eating plan religiously for the last month, but the scale’s stopped budging. You’ve reached a weight loss plateau and your dieting success has suddenly come to a standstill. What now?!
Successful weight loss is a combination of healthy eating AND regular bouts of exercise. Adding fitness to your goal will help to keep you motivated and because it increases your metabolism, you’ll see results faster than dieting alone.
Fix it: Incorporate exercise to your regime at least three times a week. Joining a gym is not your only option – you can whittle away the inches by walking, jogging, dancing… the list is endless!
5. You are an emotional eater
You just found out that your ex is seeing someone else. Never mind dieting - to make yourself feel better, you camp in front of the TV with a tub of gelato and a bottle of wine.
You eat because it helps relieve stress. Many of us are guilty of burying our feelings behind food and for most; it’s a natural response to dealing with trauma because when we were little, our parents consoled us with a bar of chocolate, a packet of chips, a biscuit…
Fix it: Break the mould of eating to numb the pain and deal with your emotions by doing something that will benefit your state of mind - try exercising, journaling, or even talking to friends.
Can you relate to any of these diet pitfalls? Share your experience, difficulties, tips and suggestions in the box below.
