Chapter 5: Maintaining Your Diet
Maintaining a diet is vastly different from starting one, but there are a few things you should do beforehand. Namely:
-
Set a realistic, practical and measurable goal – That’s the only way you’ll see change and still be able to carry out your small time objectives. Have some daily goals and some weekly goals. That said, don’t reward yourself with ‘a day off’. It’s one of the easiest lies we tell ourselves and it’ll be counterproductive for your health. That said, we’re going to look at how you can counter any cravings you might have and not cheat on your diet later on in this chapter.
-
Don’t diet, change the way you live – Many of us look at diets as short term periods we just need to sit through. That’s not a proper lens to look at the Mediterranean diet from. After all, this is a lifestyle change and you’re likely to fail before you start if you keep looking at things that way.
-
Make time to get excited about your lifestyle change – We’re all busy but keeping your excitement up is important. So take some time out to research Mediterranean diets and how you can incorporate them. This will keep you interested and give you new ways to handle your ongoing diet till you adjust to it.
-
Small changes matter – Every bite you take matters. Remember that. Every good meal makes a difference so never just give up. Have small goals and try to take them one at a time.
Now you might be wondering “Easier said than done!” And that’s true if you don’t use the following techniques.
How to Suppress your Appetite
-
Get some fiber into your system, every day – It’s no secret how fibers help keep you fuller for longer. Fiber is found in high quantities in vegetables so load them on your plate whenever you get the chance.
-
Control your hormones – Our appetite is controlled by our hormones which trigger our feelings of hunger or fullness. Having your hormones in control and in balance helps to keep you feeling as you should after any meal. To do this, you’d normally need to intake low glycemic foods and kick start your fullness.
-
Avoid blood sugar spikes – You’re bound to feel more hungry if you allow your blood sugar to go haywire so here’s what you do: don’t skip out on any meals or wait longer than 5 hours to eat, fill your plates with proteins and some healthy fats, and eat high fiber foods. This should keep everything balanced and in check.
To stay in check, don’t skip out on a homemade meal. Every time you opt for a restaurant meal, you’re unable to control what you’re putting in your food and body. So avoid restaurant meals as much as possible. Instead try and prepare your food ahead of time—a night before, if possible. You want to be always ready instead of providing yourself a reason to fail.
So be a little proactive. A few days of effort can give you a lifetime of health. These are all the tips you need in order to start yourself on the Mediterranean diet. Easy, right? No restrictions, no strict rules and a whole lot of yummy food. Now you might be wondering what meals can you exactly make? Flip on after the Conclusion to find 21 ready-made recipes for you to try out today!
