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A funny picture relating to an important topic. I am coming across more and more people talking about their diet or nutrition plan. First things first – I HATE the word DIET! To me it is a FOUR letter word. Secondly why do we need to feel that we have to all tell the world that we are on a diet, on a nutrition plan? Is it for recognition? Is it for reassurance? Is it to brag to those around us that we are on trend and doing the same things as one of the Kardashians? Are we seeking support?

Well probably the answer is yes to one of those.

As someone who has been through the process of losing weight, regaining the weight, losing the again and so on, I can empathise with most when it comes to “dieting”. Through the years I struggled to lose weight and keep it off I think I tried nearly every diet – Deprevation diets, one food style diets, No Carb after 5pm diet, Jenny Craig, Lite N Easy and the list goes on.

The one thing that I became acutely aware of was that for ME none of them worked long term! Yes thats right. NONE of them worked long term. Let me clarify this – this does not mean that they are bad, or dangerous or a con, it means for me and the relationship I have with food, these diets did not teach me anything or set me up for the “After-Life” post diet. I would come off one diet and then within a month I would be back eating a few “bad” foods every now and again and then the incidence of eating these foods would increase and before I knew it the kilograms that I had lost would be right back on!

This was causing enormous emotion breakdowns for me. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t “Getting it”. What was it that I was doing that was causing this to happen. I followed everything in those plans and was thinking I was heading in the right direction but alas I always failed.

Then I discovered there was a simpler way to look at my eating – and that was to remove all the complexity I had created. I started to look at what I was eating, when I was eating, how I was feeling before and after eating and the choices I was making. Slowly I began to see things a lot clearer. I removed temptations (a whole packet of Tim Tams in the BIN), I started making healthier choices (no more takeaway), the emotional rollercoaster I had experienced because of the foods I was consuming began to subside and I could see and feel the difference my new approach was delivering.

It has been nearly 7 years since I lost the majority of my weight (some 40+kgs) and I am still working on my healthy eating regiment. I do have weak moments when I crave for foods that I know I shouldn’t eat but I now understand those cravings better, I know what the outcomes of eating those foods is and I know the improvement I have made to my life and health in general and making better choices is far easier than ever before.

If you’re looking to make some sustainable changes in your life when it comes to nutrition, get in touch I’d be happy to help. Be no means to do I pretend to be a nutritionist or a dietician, I have the utmost respect for both those jobs, but for me neither was able to get me to the point I am at today.