By Laura Mierzwa, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Culinary Nutrition Expert
1) Quality Matters!
Investing in your health though the quality of food you are eating is one of the most important steps when it comes to weight loss. If you are constantly eating pre-packaged, nutrient void foods you can bet that your health is going to suffer! Take a look at what you are eating day after day and how these foods make you feel. If you’re feeling fatigued, moody and stressed out it’s time to revisit your diet and do a clean up! Eat real, unprocessed food and start right now by cleaning out your fridge and pantry to get rid of any items that don’t support your health.
2) Mind-Set
Your mind-set is key. When sitting down with my clients one of the first topics we go over is their intentions. When you’re making a lifestyle change, it’s important to figure out why. Setting your intentions will keep you on track, and keep you remembering why you got started when things get tough. Start right now by writing down why you want to lose weight and remember to be specific! For example: “ I want to lose weight to have more energy to play with my kids”.
3) Meal Planning is a Must!
Meal planning for success. This is a crucial part of improving your diet and losing weight. Having your kitchen organized, meals planned and ingredients ready will make living a healthy lifestyle a lot easier. It sounds like a lot of work, but once you’ve done it a few times you can easily rotate back though old plans. Knowing what you’re making each day will ensure you always have healthy, nutrient dense meals and snacks available!
4) Get Your Crew On Board!
Social support. Changing your diet isn’t an easy feat and the more support you have the more likely you’ll be to stick to your goals. Get your friends and family involved by making them aware of your intentions. Sometimes they may even want to join in! If you need that extra support, investing in nutritional counselling will keep you accountable with checking in daily or weekly to keep you motivated and on the right track.
5) Consistency is Key!
Be consistent! Change doesn’t happen over night. Staying dedicated to your new healthy habits and lifestyle will pay off in the long run. Although consistency is necessary for success we also have to remember to not be so hard on ourselves! When you slip up it’s not game over, it’s a learning lesson for the future. Pick yourself back up and start fresh right away!