This week’s focus is on what we can add to our diet to make it less stressful, more enjoyable, and a lot more sustainable.
Most weight loss diets are founded on the thought of restricting how much you eat or taking away foods you enjoy. This coupled with the thought of eating foods that we are not excited about or are completely new can create a lot of stress around meals as well as take all of the joy out of eating. If you don’t find foods that are easy for you to eat and enjoy, it can be really hard to stick to your new choices for long enough to see lasting change.
Rather than focus on what is being taken away in order to be healthier, focus instead on what you can add to be healthier. We jokingly call this the “principle of subtraction by addition”. Practically, this can be as simple as a mindset shift from thinking that if you eat out you are off plan to using eating out to give you a needed break while staying on plan. It can also look like ordering a leafy green base to your taco bowl and still getting the other toppings you normally would. You are now getting more leafy greens and more volume in, but did not drastically change the calories so you will be left feeling satisfying and successful. Adding vegetables to meals often makes them more balanced and helpful to your nutrition journey without doing away with what you are used to. The increased volume gives you more time to chew and feel satisfied but because vegetables are nutrient dense (not calorie dense), you might find that you are feeling satisfied on a calorie level that is more in line with your weight goals.
Since our relationship with food can be just as important as what we eat, the approach of looking for ways to add healthier options can be part of a positive relationship with food that is sustainable and helps you create habits that lead to better overall health. We have nutrition coaches available to help you come up with ideas on how you can start doing this too!
