Proper nutrition is crucial to both quality of life and quantity of life. After all, we are what we eat. But far too often we wait until our situations get overwhelming before we make changes. I know this because this is exactly what I did prior to making healthy lifestyle changes. Here are some common mistakes men make when trying to “diet” in order to lose weight.
- Most people think of diets as “short term” instead of embracing proper nutrition and healthy eating as a lifestyle. The term diet often carries with it an end date. When you eliminate this end date it is much less stressful and healthy eating becomes a way of life.
- Often times we try fad diets which in many cases are unsustainable. It leads to frustration and often times men give up before they see any real results. That is why eating healthy must be something sustainable.
- We view “dieting” as punishment and think it has to be perfect in order to get results instead of making healthy eating fun and interesting. Nobody gains 50 pounds overnight and nobody loses 50 pounds overnight. Therefore healthy eating does not need to be perfect. Consistency is key but eliminating the thought that it must be perfect makes it much simpler.
- Far too often I see people try a “diet” for a couple weeks and give up after not seeing amazing results. Again nobody gains 50 pounds overnight and they certainly won’t lose it overnight. It comes down to embracing the journey and realizing that living a healthy lifestyle is a long term commitment to the only body you have.
- Another common mistake is thinking healthy eating has to be boring and expensive. These negative thoughts place an immediate barrier on healthy eating. My family cooks delicious, healthy meals all the time so it certainly doesn’t need to be boring. It also doesn’t need to be as expensive as some people think. Especially when you think outside the box, get creative and shop for bargains.
Living a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy is about embracing nutrition as a key part of life. When people can make the mindset shift from living to eat and work toward eating to live, it becomes simpler. “Eat for need, not for greed” and “food is for fuel, not for drool” are a couple phrases that put it into perspective. But when a person can establish discipline and embrace proper nutrition as something that can be made fun, the process becomes much easier.