It’s January- the time of year for a fresh start, new goals, and…new diets?

These days it seems as though everywhere I turn I am bombarded with ads about what kind of foods we either need to completely cut out or foods we should only allow ourselves to eat, along with ads about how much exercise we need to get in daily to lose a certain number of pounds. There are also a number of challenges or diets out there that come with a long list of rules—such as the whole 30, 75 hard challenge, keto diet…the list goes on and on and on! These routines can sound promising in allowing ourselves to meet our health goals fast. While these challenges or diets may (but not always) include some positive or healthful aspects, they are often extremely restrictive and difficult to sustain for the long term.

I think it can be a great time for reflection. Think back and reflect on how often over your life you have started over with a different diet. How many days, months or years have you spent trying to count calories, avoid specific food groups, or follow a fad diet you saw on social media or heard about from a friend? Has this impacted your relationship with food in a positive or negative weight? Has it helped you sustain health goals for a long period of time?

It is so important to focus on simple changes that we can maintain for the long term in order to take the best care of ourselves as possible. Falling off and going back onto diets and having significant fluctuations in our weight that we can’t maintain has actually been shown to negatively impact our health. Yet we often do it, over and over again!

So, where can you start? Add a glass of water in the morning, incorporate a vegetable with lunch daily, add ten minutes of movement in the evening? There are so many things we can do each day to start improving our health- but start with one or two specific, reachable goals. You will be surprised how far this can take you in the long run!

Need some help getting started? Reach out to our dietitians today for some support: 937-586-7644.

By: Julia Blackford

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