Patience, Please
“Trendy diets can come up short on important nutrients, raise safety issues and be difficult to follow, said registered dietitian Toby Amidor. Weight loss and healthy eating are all about making lifelong changes, Amidor said, and it can take six months of continuously adhering to a new behavior before it becomes a habit.”- U.S. News & World Report (7/6)
As difficult as it may be to accept, patience is a virtue when it comes to adopting any new habit. Dietary habits are no exception. I will avoid getting on my soap box (fad diets) and just leave it said that I strongly agree with the above quote. I’ve heard countless people talk about the different “diets” that have “worked for them” in the past. But none of those diets really worked if these individuals are seeking out dietary help later down the road. The key is, has been, and will always be to develop new healthy habits. Consistency is key, and daily habits offer far more consistency than any fad diet. It is based on this viewpoint that I have built the whole philosophy/approach to my Individual Meal Plan service. Examples of healthy habits I have worked with clients to create include the following:
For clients who have been in a long-standing habit of ordering the same (unhealthy) meal or beverage every time they visit a certain restaurant, let’s change this standard order to something more nourishing. Once this new order becomes habit, it’s not a hard choice to make (truly, it’s not a choice at all!).
To increase water intake: drink 16oz every morning with breakfast; actually, drink at least 16oz with every meal! Take several sips after each set during a workout. When your water bottle gets down to about 4-8oz, chug that last little bit and refill it. Habits like this that become classical conditioning cues to drink more water can have you completing the “gallon challenge” without even realizing it.
To prevent prolonged snacking after dinner: clear the table immediately after the meal is finished, chew on a piece of gum/brush your teeth, go for a walk…anything to keep you from lingering in the kitchen and continuing to pick at the meal, despite already being full.
The feasibility of adopting/maintaining various healthy habits is different for everyone and is dependent on a long list of factors. In order to tease out which healthy habits are most feasible for each client(s), we spend a great deal of time talking about their schedule, their social support, their taste preferences, their motivation to eat/not to eat at certain times, etc. Acknowledging the driving forces and/or barriers behind certain habits makes it much easier to address them. All of this individualized “research” so-to-speak does take a great deal of time. Thus, why Amidor (in the quote above) mentions that it “can take six months of CONTINUOUSLY adhering to a new behavior before it becomes a habit”. There are several clients with whom I have been working with for 6 months or more, as this gradual pace allows us to develop healthy habits that will stick for life and continue to offer results/improved health for LIFE! If you are ready to set foot on the road to wellness (not starvation, deprivation, nutrient deficiency…other effects of many fad diets), contact me today! 😊