It is possible to change your life by changing how you eat. While the focus of this blog has changed to be more about the bodybuilding lifestyle, I want everyone to be able to get something out of what I write about, so today I want to focus on general fitness and how you can improve that by changing how you eat.
Why Diets Fail
Most diets are doomed to failure before they begin. This is because people make a huge and drastic change to how they eat. It puts them in a position where they cannot possibly maintain the program they put themselves on. Most of us do not have strong enough will power when it comes to food to go cold turkey. Attempting to do so puts us at risk mentally. Instead of making things better it will actually make things worse.
Positive Change That Sticks
Let's assume that since you are reading this you feel you need to change your eating to change your life. That probably means that more often than not you eat garbage. You eat too much junk food, too much fatty foods and too much at one time. You want to lose the fat and you don't know where to start. You just read above that making a drastic change will set you up for failure. What should you do? Make one small positive change that sticks with you for the long term. Start by eating 5 meals a day, but make them small meals. Allow yourself to eat “bad” one of those meals each day. If you do just that one small thing you will be 80% compliant to a clean meal plan.
Is 80% Enough to Make Changes?
I get asked this question all the time by clients who I make this suggestion to. The answer is simple: yes! By being 80% compliant, you are 80% better off than you were before. That's the part most people miss. There is no need to go crazy and aim for 100% compliance (unless you are looking to compete and that's an entirely different story). Make the small improvements that are going to allow you to see positive changes almost immediately.
Don't Beat Yourself Up for Slipping Up
We all make mistakes, especially when it comes to eating and training. Don't beat yourself up for it. Accept the fact that you are human. Make a vow to do better going forward. It isn't going to kill you if you have one extra cheat meal every so often. Just don't make it a major habit and you will be fine.
If you have any tips for people on how to stay compliant with a change in eating, leave them in the comments below.
