Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

If you have ever gone on a diet before, you know that the thought of your favorite foods being striped from your list of “allowed” foods and calorie restrictions is daunting. How about counting calories? It all sounds so dreadful!

The one thing is for certain, a healthier diet involves a great deal of thought and prepping to be successful. That is until now. I am going to show you how to start your diet, so you will be in a better position for success.

This will be like no other diet you have known before. We are going to ease into this with a few basic steps. For those of you that want to go all in, go for it! Just know that you have a greater risk of deviating from the diet. The key is to be the tortoise, not the hare.

I am hoping all of you, choose to make this a more permanent way of life, than a mere diet to lose a few pounds. To change your level of health, you must commit to a permanent approach. However, when I say “diet”, I really mean “lifestyle change”, so these words will be interchangeable in my blog. The only diet that I would not suggest as a long-term plan is The Keto Diet. Even the hardcore Keto gurus, cycle in and out of their carb restriction times. We still do not know the long-term effects this diet might have on your health.

Steps to start your diet

  1. Sit down with a journal and write down your “why”. As in, why are you going on a diet? Is it to lose weight, get healthier or control your blood pressure? Maybe you have heart disease or you are a pre-diabetic.
  2. Pick your diet plan. Is it going to be The Mediterranean or a WFPB Diet? Maybe there is another diet you wish to try that was not mentioned here. Again, we are looking for a lifestyle change that can be permenant and not just a diet. So, Keto is not going to be among the ones I would pick. If you do, you need to be under a doctor’s supervision. Also, if you are going to pick Keto, make sure that you make it a “Clean Keto”, which means your meats are lean and not full of sodium and fat.
  3. Learn the rules of your new diet. What foods are allowed and what foods must you avoid. Learn any specifics of the diet as well. Maybe your diet allows certain foods, but not in the first 90-days, which is what I will be asking of you here. So, your things like alcohol, high-fat items, and highly processed foods, that might send you and your cravings through the nearest drive-thru, are not going to be allowed in your first 90-days.
  4. Make sure you visit your health provider and get the green light for your plan along with any baseline labs.

Gathering Information

So, we have journaled our why, picked our diet and have a bit of knowledge what foods will be allowed. Our healthcare provider has given us the green light. Now if you would like, you can take a few selfies, write down your starting measurements and weight. This gives you a starting point. This will all be kept in your journal.

I would get a journaling notebook, for your health journey. You will want to write down your ideas, thoughts, meal plans and weekly weight, exercise and other information. You can keep a picture of you at your best weight, inside for inspiration or put it up on the refrigerator. Visuals have been proven to assist in reaching goals and are important.

If you do not have a picture, write down your target weight and the length of time you are giving yourself to reach your goal. Put it on the refrigerator. I am going to caution you to be realistic. You are not going to be able to lose 60 pounds in two months. That is extreme and not safe. Also, women tend to lose weight slower than men, so keep this in mind.

We are almost ready to begin.

Alicia