Here’s another question that I had recently that I thought may be a common issue for many…
Question:
I’m having a really hard time with fasting and dieting in general. I was doing well for about a week or so but lately it has gotten increasingly hard to stick with it. Any suggestions?
Answer:
Stay committed to your diet plan to achieve your weight loss goal.
Hi,
I am sorry that you are having a difficult time. It’s very frustrating and demoralizing when you try and it feels like you are getting nowhere.
Sticking to a diet plan can be difficult. There are years and years of habits (both conscious and subconscious) that are constantly challenging you to make you go back to what you know and what is comfortable.
To be honest, a really big part of it is down to mindset. I don’t know if you have ever done any mindset work before. Now I know it may sound a bit airy-fairy, but it is so powerful.
You may consciously think “I need to lose this weight”, but if you have subconscious self-sabotaging beliefs going on in your head (that run beneath the surface and you don’t even know it), then any attempt to change can be made almost impossible.
You also have to watch what you say to yourself. If you say “I’m having a really hard time” that feeds your subconscious and can sabotage your progress. After all, what you think, you create.
Other than that, it will take some work. And you’ve got to be prepared to put in the hard yards. If you’re down, you’ve got to be prepared to pick yourself up again and again and again… as many times as it takes. That’s where your commitment comes in, as well as having a supportive environment.
Good luck with it, and whatever you do, don’t give up.
Sarah
The biggest help for me to do fast days has been the ‘My fitness pal’ app. I just plug in foods for the day until they add up to 500 cal. The second biggest is drinking water or green tea, or whatever non-calorie drink I have (mainly water) to get me through the afternoon.
Hi Marilou. thanks for sharing what has worked for you. Using a fitness or calorie counting app is great as it is always with you, so to is a fitness tracker or Fit bit. This is ideal for tracking what you are eating, how many calories is in each item of food etc. I bet after a while you notice that you no longer have to put all your foods in as you will start to learn the calorie counts of foods and can make an ‘automatic’ informed decision. Water is definitely the key to fasting – so simple yet many of us forget about the benefits of drinking water or herbal teas.
1) Water will always help hydrate the body – often hunger pains are the body’s way of saying I’m thirsty
2) It is ‘filling’ that is it fill you up and detracts from your thoughts of wanting to eat (especailly is you are keeping busy)
3) it helps flush out toxins and impurities
4) It helps with digestion – helping eliminate and helps prevent constipation
5) water herbal tea’s even a cup of coffee will have antioxidants and can have a comforting, calming effect ( just dont over do it on the ocffee or black tea as too much caffience will act as a directic and give you the jitters having the opposite effect)
So your advocacy for water and counting calories I’m sure will help others when they are struggling or finding fasting a little ‘challenging’
to your continued health
Sarah