Being a coach in the fitness industry, I see every year, people getting excited about what the New Year can mean for them. I've read studies that have shown that people are more willing to change aspects of their lives when major events are happening, such as New Year's, Q1 to Q2, End of the month, etc. We humans like to be in control of our lives; having it attached to a meaningful date can lead to a better outcome.
With 2024 less than a week away, the search results for "diets of 2024" will tick up as people reflect on their past to better their new year. With the search for diets, people will latch on to what makes the most sense to them and keep it for a month, maybe longer but I can reassure you that it won't stick. I was caught up yesterday researching diets and was intrigued by what I came across. I shifted my mentality from what a diet means and asked myself "After January, would I want to keep this going?" That is a lifestyle choice vs a diet. That is what I'm here to discuss.
Diet: the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
Over your lifetime, how many different habits have you had? Some for the good and some for the worse. Some of these habits will stick and over time, you simply grow out of them. Some of these habits, you chose to keep, some of these habits you chose to rid of. Over time, these habits became a part of your lifestyle and became a way of being for you. When it comes down to food, habits are deeper and can hold a lot of meaning for you without realizing it.
For instance, I enjoy having ice cream before going to sleep. I realized this when I was living on my own and I questioned why I felt the need to have ice cream, after reflection, I remembered that my Grandma would eat ice cream so my eating of ice cream was a way to remember her and spend time with her without actually being next to her. My brother enjoys mac & cheese for the same reasons and that's when I finally had a real-life examples of my theories. These habits were wrapped around good memories and eventually became a part of who we are.
Generally, when people choose to start a diet, the goal of losing weight or gaining muscle mass is attached but we don't think about what this means to us. I have coached individuals using methods from my Precision Nutrition Certification and saw that after my accountability of coaching disappeared, the goals became "flexible" and those individuals fell off the path.
So what does that mean to you?
Having a diet without an attachment, memory, or deeper "why" will most likely fall short, and that diet will mean nothing after a few days, weeks, or months. The goal of having a diet is to have results! The result of having memories of ice cream led to that becoming a part of my diet and something I have chosen to keep moving forward. It became a part of my lifestyle!
Lifestyle: how a person or group lives.
Lifestyle changes are deep and meaningful for people. That is why many people find it easy to switch from being on an omnivore (consuming a variety of meat and dairy foods as well as plant foods) diet to being solely vegetarian or vegan. People attach their ways of being to the choice and it becomes a lot easier to stick with. I have chosen to become a pescatarian (fish, dairy, and plant foods) solely because I found that ancient civilizations lived similarly and would only eat meat on special occasions. This has become very deep and meaningful for me and allowed me to have meals that have meaning. This lifestyle is easier for me to keep rather than being vegan, vegetarian, or on a Mediterranean diet. I have built an emotional attachment and many of my choices are based on being a pescatarian, thus it has become my lifestyle.
As we prepare for 2024, I'd like to invite you to look at the goals of your nutrition this upcoming year and attach an emotional reason to embrace those goals as a part of your lifestyle. Look at those diets and see if that is what you want or a lifestyle change.
Do you want to eliminate fast food from your diet and cook more because you want to be a better cook for your family? Do you want to eat organic because you want to have the cleanest of ingredients in your body? What about being a flexitarian, playing with omnivore, vegan, vegetarian, or anything else you enjoy weekly?
The world is on your plate and you deserve to reach the goals you want by choosing a lifestyle that makes sense to you!
If you are curious about different diets or have questions about a diet you have come across, schedule a time with me to chat and I can answer any questions that you may have.
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