Healthy Diet

 

First I'd like to start with a few promises.

I promise this is a sincere article about enjoying a Healthy Diet. I promise it's not about a new fad I'm pushing (in fact, I've tried most diet fads and I wouldn't push any of them). And I promise I won't try to bamboozle you with science...I'm certainly no scientist.

My final promise is to pass on the most common-sense advice on dieting.

You could say these are the "Immutable laws of a Healthy Diet".

As I mentioned above I've subjected myself to almost every diet, diet program, herbal remedy and supplement on the market. None have really fit in with my lifestyle and I soon fell off the weight wagon.

One of the things I learnt (apart from the fact I'm a slow learner) is that a Healthy Diet has to be realistic and doesn't have to radically change your whole life. Nor do you have to sacrifice flavour, enjoyment and the odd treat. Even the odd alcohoic drink in moderation is OK.

For me, a Healthy Diet follows a few really simple rules. Without further ado, here they are:

  1. Fit with your lifestyle. You gotta enjoy life.
  2. Too much sacrifice, too soon is a short cut to failure. Go slowly and adapt over time.
  3. Drink lots of water. To spice it up a little, have the occasional sparkling mineral or soda water. Apart from flushing out toxins, water is not a bad way to stave of hunger.
  4. Exercise before beakfast. Gets your metabolism moving in the right direction.
  5. Actually, exercise whenever you can. A Healthy Diet is not just about what you eat, it's also about getting moving. Sounds impossible but you should walk 10,000 steps a day. Get a pedometer and get counting! It's surprisingly easy to do. For example, I'm a slow walker yet in one hour I walk around 7,000 steps. Add all the other steps you do and you're there.
  6. Eat a good breakfast. Try a protein diet like eggs or a low GI cereal. These will help you to feel full for longer, hopefully until lunchtime.
  7. For lunch have a salad or wrap but include some protein like tuna, egg or Low-Fat, lean meat.
  8. To snack or not to snack? If you feel hungry and it's bothering you then I say "eat!". But in your new Healthy Diet lifestyle you might grab an apple or banana or some nuts. Or as a starting point eat less of the snack you usually eat.
  9. Try not to eat a carb rich meal at dinner. Your body won't have time to burn off the energy. Maybe something Vegetarian

Pretty simple, huh?!? As you must have heard before, the Best Diet is a Balanced Diet.

I've been following these Healthy Diet guidelines for just over a month (well, most of the time) and have lost five kilos. I've rated myself about a 7 out of 10 in how well I've stuck to the Diet. So I've had my blow-outs but tried to dampen my guilt a little by remembering I still want to enjoy everyday, I'm only human and changing to a Healthy, Balanced Diet takes time.

Start now and remember: It's a marathon not a sprint.

I trust I've kept the promises I made at the start of this article. I really hope you've found some realistic strategies for your new Healthy Diet.

Enjoy!