How To Get Started With Your New Diet: Tips & Tricks

From healthy food swaps to make a better salad or just consuming more veggies and less junk, starting a diet can be a real challenge. However, you can do it!

Sometimes changing the way we eat can have a positive impact on our lives. Whether we choose to do it for health reasons or for how it can make us feel, it can be one of the best things we do. The type of diet you do depends on what you want to achieve but also partially how you feel about the diet itself.

I look at the Whole 30 diet as a challenge and then I look at intermittent fasting as a lifestyle. Perception is key when it comes to starting a new eating plan. Do you want to do a diet to see if you can, or do it because, ultimately, this will be the better move for your health?

You may need to cut out certain things because they no longer agree with your body. Things like dairy products, for example. Or you may choose not to eat meat anymore, or go Gluten-Free. A new diet can be for a variety of reasons, but getting started can be one of the more challenging aspects of starting a new diet.

Here are some of the things to think about.

Consider the type of diet you want to do

The first thing you need to do is consider the diet you want to change to. Are we looking at a Keto diet, maybe it’s a nutrition plan, or a calorie tracker, or even just an overall heightened awareness on what you’re putting into your body? Again this will be down to your reasoning behind the change. Make sure you research your end goal, and how others got there. You could decide to embark on a healthy balanced diet or go for something different like a plant-based diet. The factors you have to consider is why you want to do it and how it will make you feel.

You may also want to think about whether or not your family is getting involved in the diet change as well. There are so many studies out there that say having a diet buddy or workout buddy makes it so much easier to keep you on track. From personal experience, I can definitely attest to this.

Research your options

Once you know the diet you wish to take, you then need to research your options. This might be where you can source ingredients to cook meals with, or recipes on different meals you can make. You can find homemade alternatives that are healthier. Even side dishes like chutney don’t need to be high in sugar. First question, what is chutney? Research, baby.

Thankfully this and other recipes for all sorts of wonderful things are online. Pinterest is a mastermind when it comes to diets and recipes. I have a Food and Booze board for happy heart meals and then a Vegan Lifestyle for Dummies board on the weeks I want a more wholesome curated meal. Once you have a good idea of what sorts of meals you want to make, you can perfect a handful of dishes and gradually expand to the things that feel like sweet treats but are far from it! For example, you can make your own yogurt without filling it full of sugar. And before you know it, you have a wide variety of dishes that you can choose from.

Consider researching specific diet changes. Maybe going for a vegan diet might make you think that you will struggle. Find your “why” and let that drive you. Why do you want to go Vegan? If you're doing it because everyone else is doing it, that’s not a driving factor. Find a diet that’s going to help you achieve your goals and your lifestyle.

Document your progress

It’s week three of your Whole 30 diet and you are STRUGGLING. Diets are no joke. Training your body to consume fewer calories, or digest more protein is tough stuff.  Personally, it has never been easy to keep track of my progress while dieting. I hate writing down what I eat so I took to social media. This is exactly why you need to consider some of the ways that will help encourage you to keep going.

I have the horrible habit of eating when I’m bored, not when I’m hungry. Find some other hobbies to take your mind off how miserable you think you feel because you haven’t had a cheeseburger in 21 days. Start a diary. Talk about your food feelings in there. You could even write an online blog documenting your progress. Many people would be interested to read another person's experience. You could choose to document it on social media. Perhaps taking to Facebook or Twitter to keep track of things. However you decide to do it, then now is the time to start documenting.

Set yourself small goals

Don’t be the type of person who expects things to change overnight, especially if you are embarking on something that is more of a lifestyle choice. This is going to take a lot of discipline and a lot of time. It’s challenging to keep any motivation and passion alive. Instead, consider making smaller goals that are more realistic. As you work your way through them, you will be more inclined to hit the next milestone. Making your journey much easier to complete and far more realistic to achieve.

- If you need a cheat day make it only one day of the week.

- Listen to one nutritional podcast every week to keep you motivated

- Make a food friend

Little things like this will make a big impact on your diet journey.

Let’s hope this helps you get on track with a new diet. Any diet tips and tricks from the masses? Let's chat over on the comments below!