Taking care of yourself is not easy, it takes effort, time and dedication. That is why many times we have to face the obstacles that appear along the way. If you want to lose weight, regain your healthy weight or simply want to take care of yourself because you want to gain health, this interests you.

If you want something, it’s going to cost you

Nobody has said that this is easy, because in fact, it is not. Nobody talks about it, but changing habits is one of the most complex and difficult things to achieve, so it is not that you are lazy or weak, it is that this costs and entails your sacrifice. It is for this reason that the changes must be little by little and gradually.

So. If you are determined, be aware that it will be difficult, that you will encounter many obstacles and that many times you will want to give up, but for that I have decided to write this post, to help you get to the end.

Diets make you fat

The first thing you have to be clear about if you want to start taking care of yourself is that there is no specific diet , what you have to do is  change your habits. Forget looking for quick solutions, miracle diets or slimming and revitalizing products that even you wonder if they will be harmful. To foolish words, deaf ears.

You don’t have to be overweight to take care of yourself. Not because you are slim or at a healthy weight  can you eat  badly . We all must take care of our diet.

So, be clear about it, if you want to take care of yourself and want to achieve change, convince yourself that your life is going to change, that from today there will be a before and after. 

First steps

I have already spoken on several occasions about the steps to follow to change your diet and lead healthy habits, so I will only make a small reminder:

• Always have healthy food on hand and throw away all superfluous or unhealthy products.
• Get off the hook from the ultra-processed ones.
• Balance and vary your healthy diet.
• Plan and organize your diet.
• Make the shopping list.
• Turn your breakfast into a healthy breakfast.

Deal with obstacles

It is very common to encounter various obstacles during the change so I am going to give you the tools so that you can deal with them and move on.

1. Procrastination

We are experts in procrastinating . If you are not completely convinced or motivated, you will surely find an excuse not to start or something better to do. It’s over. The day you decide to make the change that is for real. If you are not prepared, do not worry, the time will come . Trying to make the change without being prepared will only help you sink and lower your self-esteem since the thought that will appear in your mind over and over again will be “I am not capable.”

2. Lack of support

It is very important that once you make the decision, your environment supports and helps you. If they do not want to make the change with you, no problem, but at least they do not make the task difficult for you. The most common situations that usually tell me:

You must make your partner understand that you are in a moment of change. That you need all the support possible and that this does not help you, quite the contrary. Ask him if he wants to eat sweets to do it outside the home and not to make them or buy them and keep them at home. If he wants to have them, let him  hide them and eat them when you are away. You know, if I have it and I see it, I eat it. Anyway, he would do himself a favor if he followed your example.

In case there is no collaboration, here is this recipe for a healthy cake:

Ingredients:
– 3 very ripe bananas
– 150g of oats
– 4 eggs
– walnuts

Preparation:
Beat everything. Bake for 45 minutes at 180ºC

You already know that I am the first to tell you that you should not, under any circumstances, isolate yourself and lose your social life because you are in a moment of change. But the choice to consume that  cane is yours. You already know that you have other options such as: non-alcoholic beer, sparkling water or sweetened drinks (which are not the best option but will always be better than an alcoholic drink).

I do not blame you, and it is something innate. When we do a  good deed or behavior  we unconsciously tend to reward ourselves for it. I’m sure at that moment you thought “well, I’ve eaten well, it’s okay because I eat a cookie now.” And I’m also sure you weren’t hungry, and that you ate it for eating. Because it was a sweet, and, let’s face it, no one is bitter about a sweet (I’m saying today). So to avoid falling into that temptation, I advise you to eat more during the meal, especially vegetables (sometimes we restrict ourselves so much that we are left hungry) and if not, that you always carry a toothbrush (even without toothpaste) and go to the sink to brush your teeth even if it is only with water. You will eliminate the flavors from your mouth and you will have less desire to eat anything. …”

Agree. It is a special night, a night of love, a magical night … You have tried but you have let yourself go. If this is the case, I would tell you to have only 1 glass of wine (for that reason to toast and celebrate how beautiful love is and why not please it) and then you will go to the water. As long as this was an exception. A real exception (that later we start to think and we already have a piece of cake, a cane with our friends and the cookie …)

Who can refuse a tupperware already cooked (the time that will take away!) And more if it belongs to your mother? Nobody. But the first of all is to clarify to your mothers: “Mom, if I eat.” Then explain your situation to them and guide them through the change. If they want to help you with prepared food and tuppers, they can prepare a escalivada, some lentils with vegetables, some spaghetti a la marinara.

You don’t have to be ashamed of eating healthy, quite the opposite. They should be the ones who are ashamed to eat industrial pastries every day, no matter how artisan they may be. If you are ashamed it is because you yourself do not believe in this change and the first thing, above all, is to believe. To solve this, it can help you explain the benefits of fruit or the damages of pastries, share your wisdom with them and let them learn from you!

I have said it above and I say it again: if you have it and see it, you eat it and more if you are a sweet tooth. So no matter how sorry you are, throw them away. They will not bring you any benefit, quite the opposite. It can also be accompanied by a feeling of guilt. It costs you enough not to buy them anymore to have to keep them.

3. Lack of motivation

Many times we need little motivations. A simple “I look more handsome” or a “have you lost weight?” They already give us an invaluable boost of motivation to continue with the change. But this, unfortunately, does not depend on us. So what you can do, which is in your hands is:

1. Be very clear that weight is a number . Nothing more than that. The main cause of demotivation is usually the weight that the scale reflects after weeks of slaughter . But most likely you have lost fat and gained muscle so the weight will be the same or even higher. For this reason, scale  poop , do not weigh yourself. If you want to know if you are on the right track, base yourself on your physical and mental state . If you feel good, strong, energetic, eager and in a better mood, then everything goes smoothly. Another very reliable marker to know if you are doing it well (in case the goal is weight loss) is clothing. If your clothes start to go wide or you can put on clothes  from before, Bingo!
2. Let the imagination fly. A very fast and simple way to motivate yourself is to imagine yourself in 6 months. As you look? What are you wearing? Where are you? With who? What are you doing? What sounds in the background?…. Visualize yourself. Every time you have a slump, visualize “the me” you want to become.
3. Create a personal mantra. The mind is very powerful and if you constantly repeat negative thoughts like “I can’t” or “I’m not capable” in the end you will believe it. So turn the tables and use that mind power to your advantage. Create your own mantra and say it every day three times in front of the mirror when you wake up . I propose some ideas: “Every day I become someone better”, “I can”, “I accept myself, I love myself”, “I accept what is, I let go of what was and I have faith in what will be” or ” I’m on my way and I’ll be grateful tomorrow ”. Obviously you have to believe in it, otherwise, don’t waste your time.
4. Use nutritional coaching strategies. There are nutritional coaching tools that help maintain that daily motivation. Some of them are: always have a photo of who you want to become (if you have gained weight and want to return to the previous weight), have an always visible card where you have written down your  why  you want the change or detect moments of hunger emotional noting when you eat without being really hungry.

4. Setting goals that are too big

You have to be realistic and your goals too. So you should set small goals for yourself and accomplish them little by little . You can’t expect to stop eating chocolate (for example) overnight. Just like you can’t (and shouldn’t) lose 10 kilos in a month. The gradual changes. I advise you to create a schedule for changing your habits. In it you must write down all the changes you want to make but that are realistic and no more than 5 or 6 , so as not to saturate yourself. Remember that not being able to meet a goal leads to frustration and that frustration can develop into depression or cause you to binge. I propose these:

5. The temptations

The best thing to avoid falling into temptation is to avoid it. But it is very difficult to resist the smell of fresh bread or the colors of ice cream on a hot summer afternoon. So in order not to fall into temptations, what we have to do is make sure we do all the recommended intakes, to be satiated and prevent our brain from claiming them.  We can also always carry a bag of nuts with us and attack them when we feel like it or we see some unhealthy product. Or look for a greengrocer and buy a piece of fruit to eat something healthy . Another trick is to ask yourself, am I really hungry? Why is he calling me? suits me? and remember all the damages it has for your health . Finally you can choosewait 10 clock minutes . If after 10 real minutes on the clock, you still feel like eating it.

6. Control emotions

Remember the difference between emotional hunger and real hunger. Emotions lead us to eat so we must quickly identify them and replace that emotional hunger with another action such as reading, watching TV, dancing, going for a walk, calling a friend, meeting a relative, going shopping …

7. Do it for you

If you decide to undertake this change, let it be for you. Because you have decided and you want it. Because you believe in it. Because you want to gain health. Otherwise, it will be very difficult not to decay and give up.

8. Feeling lonely

You should not feel alone. You have to seek support: it could be your dietitian, a family member or someone close to you. But you must always have someone with whom to share what you feel and to help you in the most difficult moments. Doing this path together always gives better results.

9. Control

To control what you eat and avoid temptations and unhealthy snacking, it is highly recommended to write down everything you eat. In addition to helping you control what you eat, you will unconsciously decrease the calories you take in. You must write it down, simply, it does not matter how or where, just have it all written down. Then you can analyze it and ask yourself if you are following the healthy eating pattern that your dietician has advised you or if, on the contrary, it is moving away and therefore, you should consider this change again.

10. Willing to quit

Like all progress, hopefully you feel like giving up. Don’t let a setback destroy your confidence that you will be able to make the change you have set as your goal. Look at life on the positive side, repeat your mantra to yourself and keep in mind that “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” You can loosen up but never let go. It’s okay if one day you eat something you shouldn’t or drink a drink, as long as you keep going and fight to achieve your goal.

conclusion

This is only as far as food is concerned, but the change must go much further. Physical activity is once again a great ally, practicing it daily will help you achieve this change more easily. Sleeping well, not smoking or avoiding toxic relationships are some of the changes that have to accompany the improvement of your diet. Remember that for any questions or queries about your diet and habits, or if you decide to undertake this path, you have the first free visit, you just have to book by clicking here.

I hope I have helped you combat the obstacles of lifestyle change. If you have had or have any obstacle that I have not mentioned and you want me to help you, you just have to leave a comment below.