How to stop dieting on and off
I speak to women every day, and have done for the last 11 years as a personal trainer confused and stressed with what to eat.
Going to bed night after night hungry or too depleted can affect every decision you make for the next day (or two). You’re ‘being good’ by skipping meals to lose weight. You’re ‘being good’ by cutting out chocolate, pasta, rice, crisps, cake. You’re ‘being good’ because you’ve missed lunch to save calories but get in at 6pm after work absolutely ravenous, picking whilst you cook dinner and then wonder why you want to demolish a bar of chocolate on the sofa at 8pm, but now you’ve ‘messed up’ your ‘diet’.
We are accustomed to live in this cycle over and over because it’s all you know.
No one actually taught us how we can eat day to day, because most of us live ‘on and off a diet’.
If you’re mid 40s like me, we were taught from, probably our teens, this is how we live life. How many of us saw our mum on a ‘diet’ counting calories. Eating strict. Weight Watchers, probably a combination of a lot of things.
I remember chatting to my group of girls on DofE who had never stayed away from home before, and I asked ‘what exciting things are you going to do when you get home..’ and 3 of the girls said ‘we’re going to have movie night, but mums on a diet so we’ll probably just have chicken and peas’
THIS!!!! This is what is staying with kids and why we are now living our life like this, and she will when she’s our age too!
We have to do better at nutrition. We have to stop living like this!
‘Oh but it’s easy for you..’
Do you know how many times I have heard that before. No, it’s not easy for me, the only difference is, I have the tools (which I will pass to all my clients) on how to do this for life.
I am 5’2 so my calories, to stay my size are very low, I can’t and don’t just eat what I want when I want. But I also know how to do this for life. I am happy to say no to things, thats not me being good or on a diet, that’s just me choosing how to live my life.
I eat chocolate every day.
But I also nourish myself every single day. I have a meal out every now and again.
I make life easy for myself and have a menu of meals because I don’t want to think what to eat day after day. I hate food shopping as it is, without having to think what to eat day in and day out.
Some may say thats boring, but I call it easy.
How the Nourished Plate Method actually works
So let’s break this down.. this is how my Nourished Plate Method works, something which I practice what I preach, even at weekends.
Breakfast
I have the same breakfast every single day. Done. I don’t have to think about it. The fruits can change to mix it up a bit. I make my own granola, so I know exactly whats gone into it. I’m aware of the portion sizes I need.
Lunch
I have 3-4 things I swap around at lunch. Again, I don’t care, I just want plain and simple meals that give me everything I need. It can be as simple as leftovers, like I have today (I have some roasted veggies, sweet potatoes ready to heat up) which I’ll serve with some chicken and eggs.
It could be eggs on toast with some feta, harissa paste, sourdough, tomatoes, spinach and a sprinkle of nuts.
And other days it could be salad with chicken and rice on the side or a wrap packed with veggies or salad and chicken.
Dinner
Again, I still have my go to meals. I have a menu of about 8-10 things that are on there. Some easier than others, for busy evenings, something like a stir fry (make sure you pack this out with veggies and not a whole bowl of noodles, because the calorie difference between the two meals is literally hundreds!). Sometimes it’s shakshuka with sourdough.
Remember there’s absolutely nothing with beans on toast for dinner, it’s a perfectly acceptable meal especially for a busy evening.
Keep it simple
Are you making the foods you eat complicated?
If you’re tired of overthinking every meal, tired of being ‘good’ then ‘bad’ then starting again on Monday, this is what I actually teach. Just a simple way of eating that works for YOUR life.
Why not book a chat with me and we can see how this could fit your life.
Next up, I’ll share exactly what’s on my menu.. the actual meals, the actual plate. For now, ask yourself: what would it feel like to stop thinking about food so much?
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