Getting Started with a Holistic Approach to Dieting
Today I have a post from the lovely Petra of Be Healthy Now. She is here to talk about some holistic ways to approach dieting. I hope you enjoy the post.
I am not a weight loss expert but what I do know is that the extreme diets don’t work. I’ve just seen too many stories online about people who lost an enormous amount of weight by following some drastic regime and then they gained all that weight and even more back.
The problem is that these diets are designed to be followed (and work) only for a limited period of time, until the goal is achieved. After that, the person is left to their own devices and it’s up to them to maintain the weight.
Unfortunately, many people don’t really know how to maintain the weight and how to live healthily to prevent weight gain. Many dieting programmes don’t teach that and that’s why they should be avoided at all cost.
Instead, what I do recommend is to take a holistic approach to dieting and not only look at what you eat but also at your lifestyle and mindset. Addressing only one part of a problem is not going to be enough.
A holistic approach to dieting is a much better way of losing weight than going on extreme diets. Here is how to get started.
1. Your mindset
The mindset is crucial for your success yet not many people realise this. You need to establish why you want to lose weight and be very clear on how that is going to make your life better or what difference it will make.
This gives you initial motivation but you will need the discipline to get there at the end. There are lots of books that will help you work on your mindset so do check them out.
2. Small lifestyle changes
It can be overwhelming to change everything at once so the best is to start with small changes and introduce more changes over time once your habits start to improve.
Here are some examples of small changes that can make a big difference over time:
- Drink more water – Drinking enough water is important for your heart health, kidney health and liver health and plays an important role in weight loss. Drink a big glass of water half an hour before meal times to prevent over-eating and reduce the number of calories you consume.
- Reduce your alcohol consumption – If you really want to lose weight and you are a regular drinker, then you really need to cut down. Alcohol has a lot of calories. One pint of beer, for example, has around 180 calories and to burn it off you would have to run for 13 minutes or cycle for 15 minutes. Is it really worth it? If you cannot totally give up alcohol, at least reduce the amount you drink.
- Replace unhealthy snacks with healthier snacks – Try and replace your sugary snacks with fresh fruits, nuts, hummus and popcorn. These healthier options are more nutrient-dense and will keep you satisfied for longer.
3. Sleep
Getting enough sleep not only keeps your immune system strong but it also helps with weight loss.
When we are sleep deprived out appetite increases due to an increase in hormone ghrelin in our body. Ghrelin is known as “hunger hormone” and the higher levels of this hormone you have, the hungrier you get.
One way of reducing the levels of ghrelin in your body is by getting enough sleep so do make sleep a priority in your life, especially if you want to lose weight.
4. Stress management
Stress has a big impact on weight loss too so it’s really important to learn to manage it effectively.
When your stress levels are high, it will be more difficult for you to lose weight as your metabolism will slow down due to high levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone. Experiencing stressful situations may also be a cause for overeating.
Try and reduce your stress levels and take time for self-care to help your body lose weight faster. You may want to try adaptogenic herbs to decrease your stress levels naturally.
5. Exercise
There is no doubt that keeping active helps with weight loss but if you haven’t been active in a long time, it’s very difficult to get started. One of the easiest things you can do is to start walking every day.
It doesn’t have to be long, as long as you get started. Start with a 10-minute walk every day and then gradually increase the length of your walk over time.
Progress by walking faster and uphill.
If walking is not your favourite activity, find something that is! What about cycling, jogging, playing tennis, rebounding or swimming?
Find something that you enjoy and you won’t have problems getting yourself motivated to exercise.
So this is how you get started with a holistic approach to dieting. Deal with your mindset first and then start introducing small changes to your life.
Pay attention to your sleep and your stress levels as these factors may unknowingly keep you from losing weight. And don’t forget to be active, this will really speed up your weight loss!
What is your approach to dieting? Do you just focus on food intake or do you take other factors into consideration as well?
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Very interesting, i am always on a diet, put on loads the last couple of years, i put that down to my just being a binger especially late at night, then go to bed full, ive now got a bad back so its hard to exercise and i get stressful with that, so i tend to eat more. but youre right should have healthy snacks instead of cake etc.
A really interesting post. Thank you.
I am a chronic insomniac so am now wondering if that is why I am almost always hungry.
I often substitute a meal either for one piece of watery fruit or freshly juiced vegetables. It helps a little.
Interesting.
Some good information here.
Currently I am following a calorie controlled diet using MFP (My Fitness Pal) and ensuring that I get plenty of exercise a day – a least 10,000 steps. I find that this is working for me but am always open to new ideas!
Ive always been looking at my food intake but the holistic approach looks brilliant xx
A thought-provoking post, this. I’ve finally stumbled upon the best way for me to lose and maintain weight, without dieting – and that’s my daily home workout. 30 minutes per day first thing in the morning, and I’m now 2 lbs off my goal weight. Super chuffed – and no dieting!
My mindset is what holds me back when I come to losing weight. Instead of thinking about it as a long game, I want results instantly (which is never going to happen). I get bored and disheartened and fall back into unhealthy ways
I would love to give this a try, I really struggle with my weight.
My mummy is awful with maintaining weight and diets, plenty of sleep is super important for helping keep weight off and exercise x
i have never been one for diets, they are to short term, i think you need to change your view on certain foods that you can carry with you throughout your life
I strongly believe dieting doesn’t help. If you eat right, then you’ll notice results.
I’ve done lots of crash diets throughout the years. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that they weren’t successful or long-lasting. A holistic approach sounds like the best route for long-term life changes.
These are great tips! I have been pretty successful with this plan, though it is hard to remember that you are making a lifestyle change that is permanent or it will all come back.
This is a wonderful post for those looking to diet. Lots of great tips and such here. I’m not looking to diet myself, but looking to be overall more healthy, so this works for me too.
I am a huge fan of holistic stuff, and it’s awesome to read this as it’s something my almost-adult child is looking into. I believe this is a longterm approach that not only gets longterm goals but is an easier way to diet without feeling overwhelmed.
These are all such great tips! Your right crash and extreme diets never work (I have tried a few in my time lol!) not only are they really hard to stick to you end up breaking the diet is spectacular fashion at the end because you are so fed up lol! Some of these tips seem so simple but are things we often forget about!
I have started implementing most of this in my daily life and have been searching for a holistic dr in our area. There are NONE that I have been able to find in a realistic driving range. 🙁 But these are great tips for those starting out or wanting to learn more!
I agree that finding an exercise you enjoy is key. If we don’t feel like it’s a chore, we’re more likely to actually continue doing it.
I do think it’s so important to think of healthy living and not just a diet, as this isn’t something you can maintain. Having a holistic approach I’m sure helps with this a lot as you do have the right mind set x
I agree that our mindset and stress levels definitely have an impact on dieting. I’m an emotional eater and always tend to justify eating convenience foods when I’m busy or feeling down.
I think the mind has an awful lot to do with diet . If we are overweight and want to lose it we will . Taste I think is another thing. And some willpower . If we say we will and stick to a good diet plan it can be done. I did it with a diet plan to get into a dress I really wanted for my daughter’s wedding 18 months ago . I lost 3 stone. I did have cheat days which were allowed. It was individually tailored for me taking into consideration the foods I liked I did a little exercise and some yoga which helped and lots of water too 3 litres a day and some vitamin and mineral supplements. I didn’t get hungry it was satisfying . x
I always like to do things the natural way. Extreme diets are just so impractical. Kinda freaks me out switching to fast paced diet programs.
I am not a fan of extreme diets. It is scary plus a lot of it seems to result to something unhealthy. Your ways and suggestions are preferable.
I love your holistic approach to dieting. It’s indeed a mindset! And the reminder that sleep and stress can play a part in weight gain or loss.
I really love this approach to health so much! I saw a huge improvement in my weight loss journey when I started drinking more water and getting more sleep. I found I had more energy for exercise and being active.
Stress is something that always derails my weight loss. I need to be better about managing it.
I do a lot of this already but when I have trouble with sleeping. I have a very hard time sleeping and I wish I could sleep better. You have some great tips here and I’m going to follow a lot of them.
I always feel totally overwhelmed by lifestyle changes, so I do nothing. I think if I broke it all down into small steps, then organized those steps, I could do it!
Hi, mindset is how you achieve things. Last year I did 3 months no alcohol, including being away on holiday and never had a drop. I have never had a problem with my weight as if I overeat one day, the next day I cut back
These are all great tips! I am not interested in dieting but I want to be healthier. So far I’m just making some little changes, but sugar is next and that is terrifying. (I’m a sweet tea addict). I’m getting there!
Mindset is of the UTMOST importance! If you’re not in it mentally, you can forget about making ANY changes AT ALL!
I definitely need to consider this approach. It sounds like it has a lot of amazing benefits.
I do try to do these. I always attempt to drink more water and try to watch what I eat. I also walk whenever I can!
I totally agree with all of your points. Seems that some want the easy way out, but eating right and exercise is the best way.
I’m very anti fad-diets and I agree that making small, manageable changes can lead to a happier healthier life, especially drinking more water!
I definitely need to consider a holistic approach – I put on quite a bit on holiday!
I’ve always just focused on calorie intake but after reading this I would probably take other factors into consideration.