Dieting…there’s no doubt about it…it’s pretty miserable. Just hearing the word can definitely stir up negative emotions for many people. I don’t know about you, but dieting makes me think about an unpleasant and unrealistic weight loss regimen. Something that leaves me feeling unsatisfied and dreaming of days when I can eat “normal” food again. This makes total sense if you think about how the term “diet” is used in the sales and marketing of many food products. It usually describes food low in calories, with no flavor, and contains many ingredients that are less than healthy.
Dieting is something that is very familiar to me. I can remember engaging in “diet like” behavior as far back as 7th grade. For years after, I would go on to try every diet imaginable. You name it, and I tried it. Did I ever stick to any of them? Of course not. Why? Because every single one of them left me feeling hungry, deprived, and guilty (if I didn’t follow it perfectly).
Dieting, weight loss, and weight maintenance are topics I’m sure you are all too familiar with. Just scan through any social media feed and you’ll find exactly what I’m talking about. While many of these “diets” produce impressive initial results, many are short lived. It is believed that close to 45 million Americans go on a diet each year. Recently, I read the results of a study that followed 29 long term weight-loss studies which showed that showed that more than half of the lost weight was regained within 2 years, and by 5 years, more than 80 percent of lost weight was regained. Not such great news.
Long story short, after years of dieting, I finally found an eating pattern that worked for me. Did you notice I said eating pattern…NOT a diet. I was no longer living on protein bars and juice cleanses. I found an eating pattern that nourished by body and helped me to feel the best I had in years. This is exactly what I work with my clients on. Honestly, initially many feel as though they’re on a diet. This is because often some major changes need to happen to support their health. After a while, these eating patterns become the norm, they become a pattern and they become permanent. This is because by eating these nutrient dense foods they slowly start to reprogram their brain. They remove the foods that are causing them to feel bloated, run down, inflamed, low on energy, overweight, and less than healthy.
Does this mean you have to be perfect? Absolutely not. It’s a journey and it can take some time to adjust. You’ll experience some challenges but also many “wins” along the way and slowly and surely your body (and brain) will start to adapt. You will start to crave this healthier way of eating, and living, and there will be no turning back. I coach and educate my clients how to permanently change their lifestyle and eating habits and they learn what it’s like to feel the best they have in years.
To explain what I mean when I say you don’t need to be perfect here’s what one of my client’s recently said after working with me:
“You’ve taught me to eat in a way where I don’t beat myself up or feel guilty if I don’t stick to my plan. I eat well most of the time and when I splurge, I know how to get back on track at the next meal.”
This what I mean by it becomes a lifestyle. You don’t have to stop enjoying life.
I’d love to help you learn a different way of eating. This is what my signature program, Inflammation Transformation, is meant to do. It’s 12-weeks (although recently I’ve offered 10) of coaching in the areas of nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep. If you would like to talk more, I offer a FREE 30-minute consultation to see if this would be a good fit for you. Please send me a message or head to my website at https://balancehealthandnutrition.com/work-with-julie/ to sign up for a consultation.
In Balance,
Julie
