I’m so excited to share this post with you today because this is something I got hung up on for the longest time. You may or may not know this about me but I’ve tried just about every diet in the book. I also have a slight obsession with new diet books. Even still every once in a while when those days that I just don’t feel so great come up I start to look at a new diet with a bit more hope. Truth is in theory a diet seems appealing. You are given a certain set of guidelines proven to work and get you to X amount of weight in a certain time. But here’s the thing. These diets have not been tested personally for you. Every body is different and while some thrive on a high carb diet, others thrive on a low carb one and the only way to know that is to be in your body.

I’ve talked before about how much I hate the word “diet”. I’m just not a fan of diets in general and this is coming from the girl who has tried every diet in the book. But you may be wondering if diets are as bad as I say they are, then why do they work? Today I’m going to break that down for you and show you how you can apply the things that work about diets with your everyday meals. No fancy diet book or silly food rules needed.

• Diets give you structure. We tend to thrive with some sort of structure in our lives and how we eat is no exception. Diets give us this structure by telling us how to eat. Take a step back and think, how can you give yourself some structure in your diet? Maybe it’s creating your own set of “healthy eating guidelines”. Maybe it’s planning a couple dinner recipes ahead. It may even be as simple as making sure you make time for a breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Create structure and you will thrive.

• Diets cut out the processed stuff. While our knowledge of health and nutrition is becoming more advanced, it seems that diets are evolving to encourage consumption of healthier foods too. Think of Paleo, vegan diets, raw food diets, even weight watchers is jumping on the minimally processed train. These natural food diets work because our bodies know how to digest and metabolize these foods best, leading to optimal health with some weight loss along the way. The fewer the ingredients, the better. Bottom line: Eat real food.

• It’s hard to overeat on “diet” foods. Think about it, when was the last time you ate too much broccoli? Probably never. It’s very difficult to over consume these “diet foods”. Things like vegetables, fruits, and lean protein fill us up but don’t necessarily cause us to crave tons of them. The less likely we are to overeat, the more likely weight loss is going to happen. What does this mean for you? Balance your meals. Have your bread but eat some broccoli along with it. Have a piece of chocolate for dessert but if you’re genuinely hungry eat some lean protein and veggies along with it. It’s all about balance.

• They set you up on a path to succeed. Think about the Atkins diet, South Beach Diet, Dukan Diet, etc… All of these diets start with a high protein, low carb phase leading to a bunch of weight loss within the first couple weeks. Even something like a juice cleanse guarantees you will lose some weight fast. Why do these work? It’s actually all about the science of it. Carbohydrates are water loving so when we eat carbohydrates we store excess water in our bodies. Cut out the carbs and guess what? That water weight is lost. Fat and protein molecules do not retain water hence the water weight loss. So essentially they boost your confidence in the first few days or even weeks, setting you up for success. But what if you could do this for yourself without changing a thing? I bet you would go for it instead of giving up carbs for weeks! Set yourself on a path towards success. Make your life a bit more fun, eat without distractions, follow your hunger cues, eat your greens, and drink water. Tweet it! All these little steps will make you feel great so much so that even if you don’t loose the weight, your confidence and energy will outshine that and put you on the path to success.

So there you go! 4 action steps to get you started on your “non diet”

Not quite sure how to do all this on your own? Let’s chat!

So here’s your first action step: in the comments below tell me one healthy eating guideline you are going to commit to. 

If you’ve ever struggled with your weight even just a little bit you probably know what I’m talking about. You know that friend that eats whatever she wants and never seems to gain weight. Chances are you’ve skipped dessert before because you’re “on a diet” and watched her devour something delicious, just wishing you could have a bite without the worry of weight gain. She’s also probably that girl that loves to run and stops halfway through a cookie because she’s full. Well today, I’m going to teach you how to be that girl. Sound good?

Before we start, little mini science lesson: When we are stressed our cortisol levels in our bodies rise, which can lead to weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, heart disease, and fatigue. Sounds pleasant doesn’t it?

What does this have to do with your skinny friend? She’s likely not stressed around food. She listens to her body and when she wants dessert she eats it. She stops when she’s full and sometimes just skips it all together when she’s hungry. Because she is not stressed and hence not in fight or flight mode, her body is able to full digest and metabolize her dessert. She is in tune with her hunger and is not eating beyond her needs.

Now let’s look at you. Chances are if you are struggling with your weight and trying to “diet” you are likely putting your body under some stress. Dinner itself can become a stressful situation. You worry about what to choose and whether it’s cooked in butter and already feel on edge because you’re hungry and that breadbasket is staring you in the face. Sound familiar? Well by the time dessert rolls around your cortisol levels are so high that your metabolism has slowed down and your blood sugar has risen without even touching dessert. So here is what you need to do: relax, slow down, and find ways to reduce stress.

First thing’s first: stop labeling your food as good and bad. Food is just fuel. It is energy that our bodies use to function on a daily basis. No food should be off limits. This doesn’t mean go have a free for all on chocolate and cookies but allow yourself to have a cookie. Take away the stigma of a cookie being “bad” and you likely won’t crave it as much.

Next step: stop trying to “diet”. There is no need to restrict or cut back anything in your daily intake. If anything you probably need to add in more nutrients and that’s exactly what I want you to do. Fill up on things like fresh greens, fruits, and vegetables, foods that come from nature. Make your diet plentiful of these foods knowing that you can also have a cookie and see what happens.

Another tip: eat without distractions. Focus on your food and enjoy every bite. Munching mindlessly while watching TV doesn’t count. Sit down, put your food on a plate, and enjoy it. No stress necessary.

My last tip: work on eliminating stress in your life. Maybe you need to take a rest day from the gym, maybe you need a night out with friends, maybe you just need to go shopping. Whatever it is take time for you and de-stress however you need.

Now what are you going to do with this information? Next time you go out for dinner with that “skinny” friend or really anyone remember, nothing is off limits, enjoy your company, fill up on some greens, and just relax! Food is not worth the stress.

“The Future Belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”-Eleanor Roosevelt

I want to share with you a secret…one that took me a very long time to figure out. If you don’t dream or set goals you will never ever accomplish them! Writing our goals down our paper makes us so much more likely to actually accomplish them.

I want you to think about your dreams…leave behind the ifs, buts, and when’s, and just dream. How can you accomplish them?

Think about it, how often have you sat there and thought:

-“I’m sure I would have a boyfriend (or get engaged, or fall in love) when I lose the weight”

- “I would join that gym once I’ve lost a little more weight”

-“I will buy that dress when I’m a little happier with my size”

-“I’ll go on vacation when I lose the weight”

-“I can have the chocolate once I’ve lost a little weight”

How can you reverse this thinking? Make some goals and go after them. It can be as simple as buying a dress you’ve been wanting or as elaborate as planning a move to your dream location you’ve been waiting forever to move to.

Step One: Create a ten-year vision. Where do envision yourself in ten years? Who will you live with? Who is in your life? What do you do? Where do you live? How do you feel? How do you look? Write it all down. Make a vision board. Write daily reminders to remind you of your vision. Here’s an example: My 10-year vision is to live by the beach in California; my bedroom is currently decorated with starfish, blues, and beach pictures. It is a perfect daily reminder that my beautiful dream of living on the beach is 100% possible if I dare to dream it!

So we’ve created your 10-year vision, now set some specific goals for those ten years, then set some specific 5-year goals, and then some 1-year goals. When are you going to accomplish these by?

This is meant to be fun so I want you to dream. It’s totally fine if you don’t end up checking off anything on your goals list. The point is to dream about them. Maybe you don’t become a professional dancer but you might just start taking some dance classes. My big scary, dare to dream goal is to be a Crossfit competitor and maybe I won’t get quite there but I may just start committing to more Crossfit classes and finally get that strict pull up I’ve been waiting for.

So let’s do this: block off some time to dream. Set some goals, get after what you can, and don’t be afraid to dream. If you don’t ever dream it, it can never happen!

Let me know what you come up with in the comments below! 

P.S Sarah Jenks’ program Live More Weigh Less is officially open for enrollment! To check or to learn more sign up for her free training here