It’s that time of year when we start to feel a little guilty about all of our Christmas and New Year eating and drinking excesses. It’s very common to pack on a few extra pounds of weight as the food consumption goes up and the activity levels go down…
… however, if you are overweight and have back pain, then it is even more vital for you to shift some of that excess, and changing your diet really is a 'work in progress’. Why? Because such a fundamental change means you need to treat it like building a habit.
When you’re creating a new habit, it’s best to start small so you don’t become overwhelmed and feel guilty if you slip up. It takes time.
Little baby steps are required so you can develop these new eating habits healthily, rather than going on a crash diet which will inevitably result in, well, ‘crashing’.
Think about what you eat. Is it full of processed foods? Do you cook your meals from scratch? Do you eat too many carbohydrates? Do you snack in between meals? Do you consider portion control? How much sugar do you consume?
That last one is more important than many people think.
The more sugary foods you consume, then the more your body will crave it. And that goes for artificial sweeteners too – diet drinks won’t help you here! Stick to natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables, and cut out those sugary drinks, afternoon cakes, and even that custard cream you have with your cuppa while catching up with a friend. And while you’re at it, no more sugar in that tea.
Additionally, consider changing your breakfast from that bowl of highly processed sugary cereal or that piece of toast with jam, to a cooked egg (no frying!) or some fruity porridge.
You have to be very strict with yourself and have a great deal of will power to go from a sugar craving monster to being sugar free. But it doesn’t stop there.
There is nothing worse than following your dietary rules to a T at home, only to be faced with a staff room full of biscuits and cakes at work. The best way to tackle this is to remove all temptation. Pack yourself some healthier snacks such as nuts, seeds and fruits to satisfy those cravings.
So it’s like I said, baby steps are the way forward. Try changing a single aspect of your diet every month, and build those new habits slowly and healthily.
As the saying goes: You are what you eat!
Want to stay healthy, happy, and productive in life and at work? Give us a call on 01722 512043 for an assessment of your situation and we’ll discuss your ideal dietary plan to suit your lifestyle.
We also have our in-house nutritional therapist at Tisbury, Rowena Paxton. Rowena can give an in depth consultation covering many conditions, not just weight loss. Rowena teaches at the Naturopathic School in Bristol and is a consultant for the Food Doctor.
Also keep an eye out for the final instalment of this January three-part series next week, where we’ll be bringing you our advice on literally exercising those New Year’s resolutions…