I hate diets. I’m just gonna to go ahead and say it. They’re typically useless and do nothing more than help people eat a little bit better for a few days or weeks.
Though the title of this article has the word “diet” in it, I’m not referring to a typical diet like Atkins or Paleo. In this example, diet refers to your specific way of eating, whatever that may be.
The reason I hate diets is that they’re restrictive. Depending on which one you pick, you’ll most likely be cutting out a specific food or food group.
Take the Atkins diet for example. It’s heavily focused on fat and protein, so carbohydrates are avoided.
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with a diet. The Atkins diet can be very beneficial for those who are sedentary and overeat carbs.
But again, its restrictive. Imagine if I told you you could never eat another carbohydrate for the rest of your life. That would suck, right?
That’s essentially what people are agreeing to when they take on a diet, if they plan to follow it long-term. But most don’t because they can’t deal with cutting out certain foods for very long. This is where dieting gets murky.
For those who have had a difficult time losing weight, this can be mentally draining. If you feel you haven’t followed your diet exactly, you might feel guilty and disappointed.
This usually leads to 1 of 2 outcomes. The first is binge eating because the thought process becomes “I’ve already messed up, so I might as well keep eating.” Or the 2nd is over-exercising, in an attempt to right the wrong you’ve done.
This isn’t a healthy situation from anyone to be in. So, this leads us to the title of this article. How can you stick to your diet long-term?
The simple answer is to have a cheat day or a diet break. This is a day where you do not follow your typical diet. You eat whatever you want. You usually consume more calories than normal and eat foods not classified as “healthy”. The reasoning behind this is two-fold.
1. It affects the fat loss hormone Leptin.
One of the big hormone players in the fat loss game is leptin. Leptin is produced by your fat cells and production depends on how much fat you have. The more fat you have the more leptin your body releases.
Leptin signals your body that you are full or do not need anymore to eat. And this signal triggers your metabolism to increase, resulting in more calories being burned.
When dieting or attempting fat loss, you’re eating in a caloric deficit. This means you’re taking in less calories than you expend on a day to day basis. Do this for too long and leptin levels decrease.
When you have a cheat day, this can normalize leptin levels and ignite your metabolism to burn more fat. Exactly what you want.
2. It gives you a mental break.
Following specific nutrition guidelines can be very tough long-term. Foods often become bland and boring making you want to throw in the towel all together.
By incorporating a diet break into your week, you’re still able to enjoy the foods that you love. Knowing that you have a day each week where you can take a “break” can get you through those days where you don’t feel like sticking to your diet.
And for the purpose of this article, reason 2 is the most important.
Following your diet week in and week out is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. And the mental game is the battle most people lose.
If you follow this mentality that you can never have a certain food again, it depresses you. It makes you not want to eat better at all.
That’s no way to live life. And it’s certainly no way to follow your diet long-term. Give that type of thinking up and incorporate a cheat day into your week.
One of the easiest times to do this is at the end of the week. During the week, you’re working and following a set schedule. It’s a little easier to stay on point with your nutrition here.
Saturday or Sunday is where your plans may change. And this is the perfect time to go outside the norm of your eating schedule. Go out to eat or go to a friend’s for dinner.
One day like this per week will not make or break your results. The main thing to focus on is consistency. If you’re consistent 85% of the time with your nutrition, it’s ok for the other 15% to be a little off track. Don’t worry about it.
When you do this, I promise it will help you stick to your diet better. Not only that but it will be mentally freeing. And that is the key to doing anything long-term.
