Personal Trainer Online: Workoutwiz.com : A Diet You Can Live With!

Human nature makes us naturally resistant to change. We tend to find comfort and safety in stability. Heres my question. If we resist change in all other areas of our life, why are we so quick to start a the latest fad diet that requires a complete change in our lifestyle and eating habits?

Only to end up even more frustrated because we lacked the discipline or motivation to stick with it. Are we really at fault or was it the fact that the changes were unrealistic in the first place?

Before you start to feel guilty or frustrated about not sticking with your diet, ask yourself a few questions. Be honest!

1) Can you really cut out all carbohydrate containing foods and drinks from all of your meals?

2) Will you be able to go from eating 1-2 large meals a day to eating 5-6 smaller meals?

3) Can you realistically cut out fat from your diet and still enjoy eating?

4) Can you eat only protein and fats without becoming moody and irritable? Will you have enough energy to make it through the day without eating carbohydrates? How many days?

Dont get me wrong, changing your body does require a change in your lifestyle. The point that I am trying to make is not to resist change, but to be more realistic when determining how to make the change. Creating a new physique takes the same patience, persistence and motivation needed to make significant changes in any important area of your life.

Sounds good, so how do I make more realistic changes in my diet and nutritional program?

Setting Realistic Goals.

Think long-term. Your goal is not to loose 20 pounds in three weeks, only to gain it all back in two. You know what changes you need to make. Why fool yourself into thinking that you can make all of them overnight. Instead of telling yourself that you will suddenly cut out fat from your diet, try a more realistic approach.

For example, if youre accustom to drinking whole milk. Try drinking lowfat (2% fat) milk. After a few weeks make a gradual transition to 1% milk. If you do decide to continue to nonfat milk, the taste should not be so unbearable. It wont be such a shock to your lifestyle because you took your time and made the change gradually.

Below is a list of a few other changes that you can gradually make in order to reduce the amount of fat and calories in your diet.

1) When eating meat, use lean poultry and fish. Stick with the lean cuts of meat such as tenderloin or top and bottom round.

2) Move toward replacing some of your meat products with dried beans and grains.

3) Broil or bake your food instead of frying. If you do fry, try using cooking spray as opposed to oil or butter.

4) Smaller serving sizes make a huge difference. Try reducing the serving size of 1-2 meals each day.

5) Use lowfat or nonfat substitutes for your favorite foods. Just be aware that many low fat foods are still high in calories so choose carefully.

6) Replace butter or sauces with herbs and spices when seasoning your food. Experiment with low calorie butter substitutes like Butter Buds or Molly McButter.

7) Sugar-free candy and sodas are good choices for times when youre not really hungry but just feel like snacking or chewing on something.

Making permanent changes does take time. Stay focused on the future and dont fall victim to quick fix solutions that will only lead to more frustration. Be honest with yourself and make the changes at a pace that you can live with.

Does it really matter how long it takes for you to reach your destination as long as youre continuously traveling in the right direction and enjoying the ride?

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