Why do New Year’s resolutions rarely stick? The drive to lose weight and eat healthier is easy to consider after an indulgent holiday season, but how do you stay motivated in your weight loss journey?
Success doesn’t come because of a date on a calendar says Catherine Clark, Owner and Founder of Harvest Table, but if the new year is your motivation, then use it to set your weight loss goals in motion. “For most people, simply taking the first step is the hardest part. We often get so wrapped up in the complexity of eating plans, diets and weight loss products that we scare ourselves out of even starting,” she explains.
The good news is that there are some tried and tested ways to extend our weight loss motivation beyond the middle of January. If you put a couple of Catherine’s points in play, you’ll be on the path to losing weight in 2021 before you know it!
Catherine Clark, Owner and Founder of Harvest Table, offers 5 tips to keep your diet on track after festive season.
1. Small, simple changes
There’s no value in completely overhauling your diet if you can’t maintain it, which is often the case if you decide to change everything at once. The best way to start your weight loss journey is by making a few simple changes with what you have in front of you. Start by focusing on getting fresh, healthy foods into your body – and add a few more changes next week, gradually adjust your eating habits until healthy eating becomes your new normal.
2. Clean out your pantry and fridge
The easiest places to start making changes are your pantry and your fridge and this means cleaning out the nasties. Any packaged or processed foods that contain an abundance of refined ingredients need to be donated to your nearest food kitchen or charity. The easiest way to identify these offenders: check the labels and if sugar appears in the first three ingredients, it’s better to get rid of it. This will remove temptation and it will make space for the foods that you should be eating.
3. Stock up on healthy staples
Every meal is an opportunity to give your body the nutrients it needs to build well and repair deeply. To do this, re-stock your kitchen with foods that will make preparing healthy meals easy. Remember, you need a balance of proteins, fats and even carbohydrates with each meal to ensure that your system functions properly and to kick-start your weight loss. Invest in products that have minimal human interference so that they retain the highest quality of nutrients such fresh produce or the Harvest Table’s Lean Shake.
4. Cut out refined sugar
Life is better with a bit of sweetness but with our modern diets, it’s also the source of extra weight. If you’ve started your weight loss journey, you will need to reduce your sugar intake substantially. You’ll get more than enough naturally occurring sugars from your five portions of fruit and vegetables that you should be eating every day. If you simply cannot do without a “sweet” fix, try Harvest Table’s Lean Suga, a proprietary blend of Xylitol, Erythritol and Coconut Sugar, making it an ideal low-carb sugar replacement.
5. Drink more water
Based on studies, drinking two litres of water every day helps with weight loss. It not only cleanses your system, but water also reduces your appetite and calorie intake too. To make this easier, infuse your water with orange, lemon or even strawberries. Mint and cucumber also add wonderful flavour so that hitting your daily water target becomes a breeze.
Other simple steps towards a healthy diet that promotes weight loss includes adding supplements such as Bone Broth or Collagen into your meals. Including these in a morning smoothie or a salad for lunch are convenient ways to get natural, healthy sources of nutrient dense food into your body. And, if you put the effort into filling your diet with more healthy foods, your will be able to better resist your sugar and other cravings, keeping you on the road to weight loss in 2021.