All these diet techniques have bombarded us recently. Your friend from New York is doing Keto and your cousin in LA is persuading you to join them in being vegan. Each of these dieting techniques are claiming to be the best. They do improve health and some people are able to achieve massive changes in their bodies by following these diets. But what if you are not ready to commit to a big change like that? But you want to get leaner and healthier! Are you doomed to being unfit for the rest of your life?
Fortunately, there are simple things you can do, little changes in your diet that will improve not just the shape of your body but your overall physical and cognitive health.
Why Restrictive Approach Doesn’t Work
Each person is different. Some people find it okay to restrict themselves from certain foods. That is for them to decide and commit to. But others find this a lot more difficult and if you’re one of them, forcing yourself to eat only a particular type of food when you know that you love all these other foods is just getting yourself into a trap.
You need to understand human behavior in order to effect changes in your physical health. People don’t just make decisions with their rational brains. In every decision you make, your emotions play a vital role. Our inclination to eating certain foods is greatly linked to our emotions. They make us feel happy. This is why a very restrictive diet is extremely difficult to commit to.
According to research, a less restrictive diet is more manageable and people are able to maintain them for a long time compared to strict diets in which most people give up in just a matter of weeks, sometimes days.
In the long run, small changes make a bigger difference to your body and get leaner. Here are some of them.
Start the Day With Protein
A good day starts with protein. Consuming the right amount of protein at the start of your day supports weight loss and maintenance. In every meal, you need to have at least 24 to 35 grams of high quality protein and it is even more important in the morning.
Doing this will make you feel less hungry for the rest of the day and you will avoid craving unhealthy foods.
Focus On What You Can Do
Remember, restrictive approach doesn’t always work. But when you focus on what you can do instead, things get easier.
You can tell yourself that you can add more fruits and vegetables in your diet and you can have a lot of them if you want. If you eat 800 calories of healthy food, that is still so much better than eating only 600 calories of junk. Don’t obsess on the calorie count. The quality of the food you eat matters more.
Be Aware Of Your Tendencies
While it’s important not to restrict yourself too much, you also need to be aware of your tendencies. You can ask yourself how hungry you are at the moment and consider if you really need to eat more than one serving. If there is food in front of you but you’re not really hungry then maybe you don’t need to eat.
Conclusion
Doing these little changes can benefit you in being leaner and healthier in the long run than restrictive diets. Avoiding the restrictive approach will also save you from injuries that believe it or not, happen with improper dieting. If you ever get into one, you should consult a personal injury lawyer. Simple techniques produce better results in the end.
