Whenever we go on a new diet we’re told how important it is to stick to a routine.
Sticking to the routine, however, can actually cause more harm than good. Probably what doctors and nutritionists mean by “routine” is really “regular”. Yes, you want to eat healthy foods regularly, you want to work out regularly, but if you stick to the same routine, your body will get bored and will stop putting in weight loss effort altogether.
How to switch up your diet routine:
First, it’s important to know that as you lose weight, your body will need fewer calories. So if your routine included specific foods that added up to 3,000 calories, and then you drop 10 pounds, you’ll likely need to readjust your calorie intake to a lower and more appropriate number.
Next, cabbage soup is not enough. Diets like the Cabbage Soup Diet that require you to eat one type of food and one type of food only are extremely tedious on your body. Your system craves different colors, shapes, textures, and food groups; if you give it no variety at all, it’ll rebel by giving up on the weight loss or by going overboard on satisfying those cravings with sweet, fatty foods.
The Fix:
• Eat small, balanced, colorful meals throughout the day. The more color you add to your meal, the more likely you’ll hit up different food groups with varied nutritional value. It’s also nice to eat colorful food—begin to enjoy the presentation on your plate!
• Try not to repeat foods throughout the day. Eggs are healthy, but eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are a bit much. It’s not a good idea to eat too much of a good thing—it’s boring and it deprives your body of nutrients found in other foods that you’re ignoring.
• Adjust your meal size to match how hungry you actually are. If you always order and eat a soup and sandwich for lunch, it’s possible that your body eats the same amount every day out of habit, not hunger. Pay attention to your hunger signals. Could be that after a bigger breakfast, you’ll need a smaller lunch.