Staying motivated on a healthy diet isn't easy, especially when you have to balance health concerns (like diabetes) on top of all your other life concerns. Here are some tips to help you stick to it:
- Don't call what you're doing a diet. Think of it as a more mindful approach to meal planning and eating. The approach naturally helps to regulate blood sugar and achieve a healthy weight. The word "diet" sounds negative and short-term, so allow this very positive life-change to be more than just a diet.
- Note how you feel after a healthy meal. Bring your attention to the feeling of being full, but not stuffed and bloated. Notice how it feels when your blood sugar is not running high or low. Document these feelings in a journal. Try to journal often so that you also have a record of how you feel when you eat less healthy foods. When you're thinking of ditching your meal plan, read back to remind yourself of how good eating healthily makes you feel.
- Plan out your meals at least a day in advance if you can. It is easier to miss a component of a balanced meal, or to make a poor food choice when you haven't given it some forethought. Thinking ahead gives you time to come up with an idea that is good for your body and your taste buds, and to spend time looking forward to the meal. Take this a step further if you know you'll be in a rush the next day: try to prep your meals the night before.
- Change things up. If you eat a turkey sandwich and baby carrots every day for lunch, you are going to get bored with it. Make a list of all the healthy lean protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods you know you like and try to rotate eating them. Try to sample a new food at least once a week. Look online for new interesting healthy recipes and food pairings, or ask your dietitian for some ideas.
- If you feel comfortable doing so, inform your friends and family about your new approach to eating. Ask them for their support, either by not offering you fatty or high sugar-foods, or by making a switch to healthier eating along with you.
- Make sure your goals are reasonable. In order to avoid feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, you need to be realistic. Talk to your dietitian about just how long it should take to meet your long-term goals, and then don't expect to achieve these goals in less time. Set short-term goals designed to help you move in the direction of your long term goals -- simple things like trying one new food a week, planning out tomorrow's meals the night before, switching to a lower-fat milk, or even taking a walk every night after dinner (provided it's physician-approved).
