Almost everyone has habits. But when habits become a burden and you no longer feel comfortable in your body, then it's time for a change: a change in diet. Intolerances or allergies can also force people to change their diet.
What does a change of diet mean?
But changing your diet sounds easier said than done. Especially maintaining it is difficult. Under stress, anger, temptations from outside or peer pressure, one quickly falls back into old behaviors. Then health takes a back seat. Some people even categorically reject a change in diet, arguing that a change in diet is too time-consuming and complicated, especially if you work and also have a family to support.
These excuses no longer count! With the help of the Upfit diet plan, a change of diet is made easy for you. We offer you delicious, simple and healthy recipes, a compact weekly shopping list, as well as competent advice from our Upfit experts in live chat, by mail and on the phone. This also keeps you motivated and allows you to make lasting changes to "old" annoying habits.
Why change your diet?
Fast food, chips, sweets or unhealthy canteen food. There are many nutritional traps in our lives that stand in the way of a healthy change of diet every day. Surrounded by advertising and smells, it is often difficult to resist. We live in an affluent society where sugar, fat and additives dominate our daily meals as long as we let them! However, knowledge about a healthy diet and dietary changes has also grown and many food scandals and consequences of an unhealthy diet have come to light in recent years.
The consequences of a bad diet
The consequences of an unhealthy diet are not only obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease - our taste buds are also altered by an unhealthy diet. Too much sugar and flavor enhancers such as glutamate or yeast extract turn poor-quality foods into true addictive substances. The brain reacts to these substances and wants more. Unfortunately, sugar has many empty calories and the effect of glutamate and additives on health has not yet been researched. So we are raised to consume a lot of unnatural foods. As soon as we cook something ourselves or eat fruits and vegetables, we seem to be missing something.
Reasons for a change of diet
- Desired weight
- Intolerances/allergies
- Diseases
- Taking up (strength) sports
- Environmental and animal protection
- Special diet (vegan, low carb, paleo)
- Psychological conditions (eating disorders, anorexia)
- Changed working hours
- Pregnancy/breastfeeding
All these are reasons to change your diet. Feel free to inform yourself about the advantages and disadvantages of different diets and dietary changes and consider which one suits you best. To do this, you can consult the large Upfit diet comparison and find the perfect diet for you.
A change of diet takes time. The reason is simply that your old diet has become a habit and now you have to replace it with a new habit. Just like a sport or driving a car, a new diet has to be trained. But if you stick with it, it will quickly become automatic and the old habit will be erased. So the secret behind a successful diet change is just perseverance.
As long as your micro- and macronutrient needs are met, you don't have to worry about the psychological symptoms of a change in diet. However, if you notice strong physical symptoms such as hair loss, abdominal pain or poor skin condition, you should check your nutrient supply.
This is how you succeed in changing your diet!
"If your old way of eating has become a habit and you are now replacing it with a new habit, it needs to be trained just like a sport or driving a car."
For whatever reason you want to change your diet - do it in a planned and controlled way. This is the only way you will be able to change your diet permanently. Tell your friends and family about your plans so that they can support you. Seek information or help, e.g. through a diet plan or a food diary!
Step 1 Dietary change: Keep a food diary
Start by keeping your food diary to get an overview of your current diet. Take pictures of yourself before the change. Then, feel free to read about different diets and consider which one suits you best. Which diet works best with your preferences? Which one fits well into your everyday life? Which diet is the easiest way to reach your goal? Or you can simply try something completely new.
Step 2 Dietary change: Make a decision and stick to it!
Decide on a diet. This could be a vegan or low carb diet, Paleo or ketogenic diet, or something else. Consider all the do's and don'ts of the diets.
Caution.
Don't combine two new diets in the beginning, such as vegan and ketogenic or low carb and low fat. These diets are often mutually exclusive. Try it only when you are already practiced in a new diet. Only in this way will you be able to maintain a dietary change in the long term and prevent malnutrition and also that your metabolism and circulation shuts down.
Step 3 Dietary change: Train yourself a new way of eating!
In your first driving lesson, you probably still thought you'd never make it. Everything was new and complicated and you probably made a lot of mistakes. But with time and regular repetition, you didn't even have to think about what you were doing - driving worked like a charm.
It's the same with a change in diet. With regular repetition and practice, the new diet will quickly feel natural. For this reason, it's important to stay on the ball. This way, the "old program" of unhealthy eating will gradually be "overwritten". Practice the diet that will lead you to your goal by making a detailed shopping list. Look for delicious recipes that you can use to start your new diet or let us create a professional diet plan for you.
Step 4 Dietary change: Resist temptations
Single cheat days are of course allowed from time to time. On all other days, however, you should stick to your new diet and follow through with the dietary change. Ban sweets, potato chips, alcohol etc. from your fridge and shopping basket: "Out of sight, out of mind", as the saying goes. If you pass a bakery or a delicious fast food restaurant before or after work, choose a different route. Set firm appointments to go to the gym or sports club. Find workout partners or use a free running or exercise plan. Choose the company of people who share your goals. Tell your friends and family about your goals, so it's harder for you to let your dietary changes slide and disappoint your loved ones.
Step 5 Dietary Change: Review Your Successes
Document your successes! This will help you stay motivated and build your self-esteem. You have managed to change your diet and have come a little closer to your goal? Regularly note your weight or the circumference of your arms, legs, waist, etc. and compare the values with the values at the beginning of the diet change. This will also encourage you to continue to eat healthily and not to fall back into old habits.
Basics of the Upfit diet change
Still not inspired and convinced to change your diet? Then let us create a professional nutrition plan for you! With the Upfit nutrition plan we can support you in your goals of weight loss, muscle building, body definition and healthy eating. After you have entered all the information about your body, your eating and shopping habits and your food preferences, a personalized nutrition plan is created from a database of thousands of foods and recipes.
All information, such as allergies/intolerances, but also time for cooking and food budget, are taken into account in the individual plan creation. All plans are created according to the latest scientific findings: by optimally supplying the body with micro- and macronutrients and calculating a dynamic calorie balance, the plan ensures week after week that you do not feel exhausted and tired during the dietary change. Losing weight without starving and according to your personal needs takes on a whole new meaning with the Upfit diet change. You want the whole package and maximum results? Complement your diet plan with the free workout plans and finally declare war on your problem zones.
Summary
Changing your diet is possible and you will succeed! Go planned, follow the 5 steps and you will succeed. Information about the different diets and their suitability can be found in our Diet Check Coach articles. Think you can't fit a diet change into your stressful everyday life? Wrong, start right away with an Upfit diet plan and let us advise you! We will help you to reach your goal!
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Text: upfit
Image credit: #76819333 Prostock-studio / stock.adobe.com
Published on: 5 May 2021