Small Goals: Little and Often

By Hanna Storey, Head of Education and Employability

Have you ever wondered why fad diets do not work?

Why do you lose lots of weight quickly but then pile it all back on in half the time?

Have you heard the phrase “everything in moderation”?

This is exactly it.

As humans, we are designed to need all the food groups, so these diets that have you cutting out food groups are not as good as they are made out to be. You may think they are great, for the time you are on them, but as soon as you begin to eat “normally” again, you pile the weight back on.

Why? I hear you ask.

Well, because we are built to need every food group, if you cut out, let's say carbohydrates, your body goes into starvation mode. It wonders and panics when it will next get some carbs.

So, when it does get a taste of that tasty goodness, it hoards and hoards and hoards it, taking in more than it needs, and BAM back on goes all the weight and more! This is known in the science world as “super-compensation.”

The best diet plan that you can give your body is a sustainable healthy eating plan, little and often. If bread is your vice, stick to having it once a day. So if you have toast for breakfast, you can't have a sandwich for dinner. If you are a sucker for a sugary treat, use it as a reward at the end of the day for abstaining. This way you are not limiting your body to what it needs, you are making healthy choices, in a sustainable way.

Little and often, it is as simple as that.

So, treat your body right, give it what it needs. Eat the cake, enjoy the sandwich... in moderation, but also keep moving :)

A little of what you like does you the world of good.