3 Tips on How to Avoid Diet Stress

Gimme Dieting can be very stressful in many ways. It's never easy to start depriving yourself of food, and you'll undoubtedly experience not only physical stress but some emotional stress too. While it's hard to completely avoid all stress in your life, there are ways that you can make your diet less stressful. By using these techniques, you can be assured that you're not setting yourself up for failure. By removing the stressors from your diet, you'll be able to stay on track and get healthy.

Tip 1 -

Don't pick a diet that is going to deprive you. While the word diet is synonymous with deprivation, it doesn't have to be. So many people set themselves up for failure by picking a diet that is simply to hard to maintain. The main key is reducing the overall amount of calories that you're putting in to your body and increasing the amount of exercise. If you're not getting the right kind of fuel, you won't be able to exercise. Instead of picking a severe diet at first, go with one that is going to be easier. You'll be able to ramp up your efforts once you start to see results.

Tip 2 -

Understand that sometimes snacking is necessary. If you work long hours, chances are you're going to get hungry between lunch and dinner. Too many people beat themselves up about snacking and get all stressed out. The key is not avoiding snacking, the key is finding the right kind of foods to snack on. Instead of that high calorie candy bar, pick a treat that has a lot of protein in it, such as low fat cottage cheese. Your body may be telling you it needs sugar to keep going, but what it really needs is some protein to create real fuel. There are times when you simply run out of fuel, but don't put just any kind of fuel in your tank. By filling up with the right fuels you'll be able to de-stress and keep going longer.

Tip 3 -

Pick an exercise program you can maintain. Beating yourself up because you can't keep to an hour a day of heavy aerobics is not only stressful, it's unhealthy. You're not going to be able to run a marathon overnight. Stick with a small amount of exercise at first, until you start to build up your energy. Instead of a full hour, try a half hour for the first few weeks. It may take a bit longer to see results, but you're building a firm foundation for success.

The key is finding ways to avoid beating yourself up on your diet. We are usually our harshest critics and it becomes all too easy to succumb to that little voice that tells us we can't do it. By circumventing that voice and starting small, you'll be able to get over your diet stress and start seeing real results. A healthy diet takes work, and changes won't happen overnight.

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6 comments ↓
#1 Andrew is getting fit on 06.12.08 at 10:58 am

All 3 of those are very valuable tips and something I’ve learnt along the way as well.

1. I’ve done ‘diets’ and they don’t work as they are not sustainable for me. Rather I had to learn about eating in moderation. Now I eat what I want when I want - I just control the portions.
2. I’m a non stop snacker. But I plan them. Healthy snacks for the win!
3. Exercise…gotta love it!

#2 Jo on 06.12.08 at 11:44 am

Thanks for the great tips!

#3 MizFit on 06.13.08 at 2:11 am

SO KEY TO FIND ONE YOU CAN MAINTAIN!!

#4 » Weekly Roundup: Diets & Pushups Are Popular on  Journal of Healthy Living on 06.16.08 at 4:09 am

[...] Elsewhere in the fitness world, there’s been a deluge of posts about diets. Fat Man Unleased unleashed a post on the 4 physical laws of dieting while Lazy Man was concerned about the safety and effectiveness of diet pills. Not to be outdone, Weight Ladder gave 3 tips on how to avoid diet stress. [...]

#5 carnival of healing #143 on 06.21.08 at 6:28 am

[...] 3 tips on how to avoid diet stress [...]

#6 How to Retrain Your Cravings | Health, Fitness, Exercise, and Weight Loss (66 pounds in 17 weeks) on 08.19.08 at 5:51 am

[...] key to retraining your cravings is to take it slow and avoid going cold turkey. Sugar and caffeine are quite a bit like serious drugs or even cigarettes. They can be addicting [...]

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