“I‘ll start my diet on Monday.”
“I won‘t eat any junk whatsoever.”
“I‘ll give up alcohol and takeaways.”
“I‘ll lose heaps of weight in one month.”

Do any of these statements sound familiar? If so, you are definitely not alone. Many people, including myself, have embarked on an epic and gruelling journey to find a healthier lifestyle and a slimmer self, only to end up with a gutsful (not literally). Then we binge on all of the foods we‘ve missed out on, and end out worse than where we begun. The question I ask my clients when they are attempting to create a healthy lifestyle for themselves is: “Can you see yourself still doing this in two years‘ time?” If the answer is no, don‘t even bother starting.

Being fit and healthy shouldn‘t feel like a constant chore because if you don‘t enjoy something, you won‘t continue it if you have the choice. I propose that you work with the foods that you are currently eating and enjoying, and make small tweaks to ensure that you are improving your health and nutrition slowly but surely. It‘s all very well to want a quick transformation, e.g. “drop 10kg for your sister‘s wedding in three weeks”, but in the long run, what have you really done for your health other than lost a bit of weight that one time back in 2013? Deep down, what we are trying and wanting to do is to feel better about ourselves, have self-confidence and feel as though we are taking care of our health and wellbeing.

Here are some simple, baby steps to improve your current eating regime without feeling like you have to give up your social life and sanity just to lose a few pounds.
1. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner It sounds silly, but having structure in your day can help prevent binges or lash-outs when you skip meals and become starving.
2. What am I eating too much of? Acknowledge and identify your weaknesses and what you may be overindulging on. For example, if you‘re having a chocolate bar every day, try to reduce that to every second day. Simple.
3. Be organised with your food. If you plan and prep your meals, you are more likely to make better food choices. Whereas, if you‘re just winging it and grabbing random bits and pieces throughout the day, you can end up eating too much/too little or not quite eating the right foods. For example, grabbing a pie from the local bakery instead of eating a homemade wrap or sandwich.

Living a healthy lifestyle should be a well-balanced blend of eating nutritious foods and moving your body while enjoying meals out, special occasions and ‘treats‘ along the way. Give my three steps and go and see how they can help you to smoothly move towards a healthier you.