A person who has some extra weight but wants to get fitter goes on a diet. Chances are, they are out of shape due to irregular eating habits and lack of physical exercise. This person is least likely to loose weight if he decides to change everything. Nutrition, eating habits, physical exercise. The reason being, that a complete lifestyle change will be too overwhelming for the individual who won’t be able to resist the temptation to eat that chocolate bar(s) on Saturday due to the strict diet, causing the new system to fail. Even though there might be accountability partners and a personal coach, the new lifestyle can still backfire. A solution to keep up the diet is to not make a radical lifestyle change but a gradual one.
I weighted 98 kilos 2 years ago and was doing exercises on a daily basis (more on that here) but I was eating anything, anytime. Partly due to irregular overtime and not having an eating habit. Although this weight is considered to be normal for a 2 meter individual, it still made me uncomfortable in my body. So I decided to choose to order lunch from a local caterer making food from healthy ingredients (this does not mean that I only order salad) to the office for lunch and one extra meal for dinner that I take home.
My Rules:
Eat lunch every week day at 11 AM (for these reasons)
No snacking during the day on week days
Dinner at 6 PM on week days
Fruits are allowed to be eaten any time even though some contain high amount of sugar
I can eat anything, anytime on the weekend
This last rule made it possible to only restrict my eating habits for the week days and having some 'room to breathe' on the weekend that allowed and still allows me to let down my guards in order to keep my rules for the weekdays when it counts the most.
The Results
With the change in my eating habit, I am at 81 kilos right now. Getting rid of 17 kilos in two years and I feel totally awesome! Best of all, this is totally sustainable and I never feel that I am on a diet.
We don't gain weight between Christmas and New Year, but form New Year to Christmas. Changing lifestyles are only worth if we can stick to the new rules in the long run.