You Pinspire Me
Ok, I’ll fess up: I HATE using the word “Diet”. I prefer things like “healthy eating challenge” or “Making changes IN your diet”, but I used the word in the title precisely because it’s the popular term for a weight-loss challenge, and that’s what we’re doing this month. Without further ado, I give you “Ten Ways You Kill Your Diet Before You Even Start”.
Marya and I are heading on a journey this November – we’ve both realized that we’re not as fit & healthy as we should be right now; we’re not eating foods that feed our body (we’re eating foods that feed our cravings) and we’re not being as active as we should be – we’ve both signed up a DietBet challenge. We’ve each put $10 on ourselves, betting that we can each lose 4% of our body weight in the month of November. (We both actually signed up for this higher stakes bet for $30 as well – if we ‘win’ (accomplish our goal), we split the pot with everyone else who accomplished their goals, too. I know that I can do this – so the worst that could happen is that I come away from November being a little more fit with my money back in my pocket, but the best that could happen is that I’ll make money losing weight! (Wanna join us? Click on the links above, then let us know you signed up – it’s not too late!)
I’ve done monthly challenges before (without investing financially in them) and I’ve learned a few things about failure. This challenge isn’t just about losing weight – I can lose weight and still be unhealthy and then watch those pounds race back as soon as I’ve completed my final weigh-in – it’s about getting back to a healthier lifestyle.
Here are 10 ways you kill your diet before you even start:
1. You don’t set a date to start. There’s a reason why everyone makes New Year’s Resolutions: It’s a date, set in stone on the calendar, that’s easily defined. “I’ll start sometime next week” or “Next year is the year I’ll tackle that” doesn’t get you anywhere. Choose a date on the calendar, circle it with your Sharpie, and email your closest friends to let them know that THIS IS WHEN YOU’RE STARTING.
2. You fail to make a game-plan. “The dog ate my homework!” doesn’t work when you’re making the excuse to yourself. I hope that you are the reason why you’re making these changes, so you need to respect your plan enough to think about what you’re willing to do differently. Are you going to visit a gym? Eat less often? Eat smaller meals more often? Avoid wheat? Go low-carb? Get more sleep? Eat 5 grapefruits a day? (Just kidding – don’t do that.) Create a sticky note on your desktop screen or slap one on the fridge & WRITE DOWN the changes that you’d like to make.
3. You don’t make your kitchen diet-friendly. Several weeks before your start date, stop buying those treats that you like to indulge in every once in a while. Have another one or two and then feed them to the kids, the guests, whatever. Figure out healthy snacks & treats that are easy & quick to grab and stock up on them. Make a list of them & put it on the wall, if you have to, so you remember what should be your go-to. If you don’t like carrots & celery sticks, don’t stock the fridge with them! – you’ll never stick with your game plan if you expect yourself to eat food you don’t like!
4. You don’t meal plan. It’s no secret that one of the biggest factors in weight loss is the food that you put into your body. You’ve already thought about what kind of food changes you’re going to make, so now it’s time to find or create meal plans that support those changes. I often cut most grains from my diet because I’ve seen what two weeks of eating grain-free does for my waist alone – but if I don’t make a meal plan ahead of time, I end up making a sandwich for lunch because it takes more time & effort to think about and then make grain-free meals. Think about it – you’ve had a busy day at work, the kids had sports practice after school, your husband comes home late – everyone is exhausted and hangry – you don’t want to think about what to make for supper let alone actually do it – so you order a pizza. No judgement from me – we’ve all been there and had those days – but making a meal plan ahead of time gives you one less thing to think about during the witching hour. Besides, if you’ve got a list on the fridge or the white board, you can get all of the ingredients out of the cupboard / freezer before you leave in the morning and it’ll just be a matter of putting it all together when you get home later.
5. You quit sugar / alcohol / carbs cold turkey. If you know that your biggest weakness is also your biggest foil and you plan to quit it cold turkey, good luck with that. More likely than not, you’re setting yourself up for failure and when you eventually cave & eat that KitKat bar you’ll feel terrible and have a cookie, too, and maybe a bowl of ice cream since you already caved and wrecked your diet. Be realistic and don’t take the fun out of food. Some people let themselves have 1 small cheat a day and some have a cheat day, but it doesn’t work for most people to have an embargo on something entirely. The reason why most of us go on a diet is because we want to look and/or feel different – now – do you want to look and feel different for a month, or do you want to show off that post-diet body all year? Make changes that you can make a part of your daily lifestyle.
6. You don’t monitor your progress. The scale isn’t the only thing you’ll want to keep an eye on – if you don’t measure yourself around your waist & thighs when you start, you’ll miss seeing some of the changes that are happening! The scale can be deceptive – it can look like you’re not getting anywhere, but when you start to look at the inches that you’re losing on your weight, you’ll have a renewed resolve. Also, take a look at how long you can run or swim for at the beginning – keep a journal and watch your endurance increase. Download an app or buy a little notebook at the dollar store to track all of your numbers and measure & record everything the first day you start!
7. You make it all about food. Yes, food is a very significant part of losing weight – but if you ignore exercise, you’re fighting a losing battle! Visit some gyms in your neighbourhood & ask for a tour. Find out if training sessions are included in the fee, grab a copy of their workout class schedules. Ask if they have babysitting facilities & if they are included in the monthly fee or an additional expense. Choose a class and go to it every week so that the instructor and other class members will expect to see you there. If you can’t afford a gym, get active. Park your car at the back of the parkinglot when you go shopping, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Make a friend in your neighbourhood and plan to walk or run every other night after supper.
8. You think that cardio is the key to a healthy metabolism. Cardio is fantastic for keeping your heart healthy, but if you ignore weight training, you’re missing out on easy weight-loss! Muscle weighs more than fat, so as you weight train, you might notice that the scale is going up, not down. However, experts suggest that your metabolism stays elevated for up to 39 hours after lifting weights! Some also estimate that a pound of muscle at rest burns 6 calories, while a pound of fat burns 2 calories. Weight-loss for nothing – it all adds up! If you can’t afford a gym membership, add some extra weight to the stroller when you go for a walk or put the baby (or toddler) on your back in a carrier when you go out! There are all sorts of weight training excercises that you can do at home without the need for special equipment, too – no excuses!
9. You hit the pillow too late every night. Studies have shown that well-rested adults burn up to 5% more calories while resting than those who are tired, and burn 20% more calories after a meal than the sleep-deprived. If you’re in the habit of watching TV until 2 hours past your bedtime you’re in an even worse spot – the bright light of the tv stimulates the brain & affects melatonin levels which, in turn, decreases the quality of your sleep. Turn off the TV & computer an hour before your (reasonable) bedtime & spend the time reading or playing card games instead.
10. You keep it a secret. Maybe it’s that you feel a little embarrassed admitting to someone that you’re going to diet, maybe you want to surprise & shock people with your new healthy body – whatever your reason for not telling anyone, it’s not good enough. The problem is that you’ve got no one to hold you accountable – no one to question your second glass of wine, no one to ask you about when your last workout was, no one to offer you a ‘sample’ sized piece of cake – no one to support you. You know how easy it is to excuse unhealthy behaviour on social media – if you don’t know, then post something to Facebook or Twitter saying, “Time to dig in to the kids’ Halloween candy – I’ve eaten TEN chocolate bars already, who’s with me??” or “I know it’s only 5pm on a Tuesday, but wow. Forget a glass of wine, I could use a BOTTLE! #mommyproblems” Not one person will chide you; quite the opposite: everyone is so eager for someone to give them permission to indulge, they’ll happily give it to you! If social media can encourage bad behaviour, surely it can promote good behaviour! If you don’t want to tell your local friends or family, let some of your favourite Tweeps know what you’re up to – chances are you connect with them more frequently than other friends, anyways! If you’ve got someone local that you can share this with, ask them if they’ll commit to being more active with you – most of us don’t get out nearly enough, so this is a great excuse!
The long and the short of it is, if you’re going to go through the effort & discomfort of going on a diet or changing your lifestyle, do everything you can to make it work! Don’t set yourself up for failure! You know your habits – you know the foods that tempt you, the behaviours that do damage to your health, the times of day you’re just not going to work out, no matter how much you try to convince yourself. Make a plan that will work for you, tell someone about it, and then do it.
Have I missed any? How do you sabotage yourself when you try to make healthy changes in your lifestyle? Do you diet with the goal of looking fabulous in that bathing suit on your trip to Florida, or is your aim long-term change?
Jenn vanOosten
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All that leftover Halloween candy…. groan.
I also find my FitBit or other healthy trackers help me successfully!
Marya got a Fitbit this summer, she LOVES it!! I really want to try one sometime. I tried the Galaxy Gear 2 this summer, but it was WAY too huge for me. A touch of the mans.
Good luck Jenn and Marya!
John and I are working on losing weight right now too and the biggest thing we’ve done so far that we’ve noticed has helped has been cutting out the juices and pops. And also being more active…