‘It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle’

EARLIER this week, a colleague glanced at my food bag and asked me “what diet are we following now?” I bit my tongue, smiled and replied: “I prefer to refer to it as a lifestyle.” Words have power and as “The Husband” often tells me: “Your words become your reality”.

So, the diet vs lifestyle debate is something I rarely back away from, and I’m sharing my top five strategies in the hope that they – or variations of them – will help you get and stay on track.

Get into the right head-space

I have tried – and failed – to lose weight many times, so many people ask me how I managed to get it right. The only answer I have is: I got into the right head-space.

To do this, I suggest you consider very carefully why you want to lose weight, how you plan to do so, what help you’ll need and how you’ll sustain it.

Create an enabling environment

When I decided the Paleo lifestyle was one that worked for me, I would clear the cupboards of anything that was not Paleofriendly. The Paleo diet excludes all grains, sugar, legumes and dairy. I know it sounds extreme, but the situation was extreme – I was 40kg overweight.

My three bags

Before bed, I ensure my three bags are packed: my work bag, my gym bag, and my food bag. I ensure that my meals for the next day are prepared and packed in the fridge, so that I can pop them in my lunch bag before work.

Meal prep

While it’s always more enjoyable to eat freshly prepared meals, sometimes this isn’t possible. There is nothing worse than getting home after a long day at the office and still having to cook.

Keep it simple

When I switched to the Paleo diet, my key strategy for success was to keep it simple, particularly while I was getting comfortable with having excluded so many food groups from my diet.

I didn’t immediately launch into atempting to cook complex Paleo meals but were rather simple combinations of a protein source, lots of fresh veggies and salads. Also, at least twice a week I ate fish instead of red or white meat, and planned and prepped meals.

These are some of the strategies that worked for me, and I hope they help you too.