I hope you had a fabulous Memorial Day!

I spent most of the day relaxing and yes even had a hot dog, root beer and some Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream 😮

Because here’s a little secret – it’s ok to enjoy off foods every now and then. Actually, I encourage it!

To get results you don’t have to be perfect.

Focusing on being “good” 80% of the time and giving yourself the leeway to enjoy those not so healthy foods you like the other 20% of the time will not only make life more enjoyable but it will make healthy eating something that’s easier to stick to.

The ONLY way to stick to a healthy eating plan is to make it a lifestyle.

Hopping from one miserable diet to the next actually is a bigger indicator of failure than success.

And I’m not making this up…Research has shown that diets are a bigger indicator of long-term weight gain than weight loss!

I always tell my clients…if whatever diet or nutrition plan you’re about to start seems overwhelming or if you ask yourself “Can I see myself sticking to this for the next month, 3 months, 6 months or a year and beyond?” and the answer is no then it’s not the right plan for you.

Losing weight and keeping it off is about finding a plan you can actually stick to IN THE LONG RUN.

Yes, a short-term diet will work. You’ll lose weight; however, when you go off the diet and back to old habits and old ways of eating you’ll gain that weight back and often more.

I get it…because I’ve been there. When I used to compete EVERY single time I went on a strict competition diet I gained the weight back and usually a few extra pounds. All that misery to end up worse off than when I started…it isn’t worth it!

And the reason it doesn’t work is because nothing has really changed.

When you don’t change your habits around eating your body isn’t going to change for good either.

So, the way to lasting results it to find a plan you can actually stick to. Create new nutrition HABITS instead of blindly following some strict diet plan.

Often that means avoiding extremes. Allowing some flexibility. Making smaller changes instead of trying to change 50 things at a time (that’s what most diets do).

And I realize this isn’t as sexy as the latest diet craze, but IT WORKS (I’ve seen it over and over with my clients and even myself) and that’s what matters.

The diet industry is a billion dollar industry yet obesity rates are rising. If they worked so well, then why don’t they seem to be working?

So, if what you’re doing isn’t working…then it may be time to try a different approach.