The first thing that you must ask yourself is, “What is a diet”? According to dictionary.com a diet is, food or feed habitually eaten or provided.  Basically, a diet is the food that you eat on a daily basis.  The common or understood definition of a diet is changing how you eat to a healthier version for a period of time.  The understood definition of a diet is what gets the average person in trouble.  If you plan to start and stop eating healthy after a period of time then you are planning to gain the fat back.   So the real question is how do you truly start and maintain a healthy diet. The diet we are talking about is, what you will eat every day for the rest of your life.  So let’s discuss the questions you should ask yourself before starting your new diet/lifestyle.

1. Is the diet backed by science?

 The average expectancy for weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds a week according to the cdc.gov. If the diet you are starting is promising numbers that are too good to be true it probably is untrue, and or unsustainable.

2. Are the foods on the plan, tasty?

The food that you see on the plan should be food that peek your interest or food that you will like.  You must remember that you shouldn’t compare the food taste to unhealthy food, like pizzas or hamburgers.  You should look at the food as whether you like the taste or is the food disgusting.

3. Will this plan fit into your lifestyle? 

If the diet plan that you are beginning requires you to do lots of cooking and cooking is something you don’t like, or you don’t have time for, then the diet plan will fail. It will not be a long term solution.  You should have a plan that allows you to make quick healthy meals or snacks if you are constantly on the go, or you can go to certain restaurants that have specific food that fits within your lifestyle/diet.  But if cooking is your thing and you have time, then that would be a great diet plan.

4. Do you need freedom of choice or a very structured meal plan?

 You should understand your personality and know whether freedom or a restricted meal plan will work best for you.  If you have a freedom meal plan you need to be disciplined and very knowledgeable about what you should and shouldn’t be eating.  If you do best with a restricted meal plan, you should have 3 to 4 meal plans to choose from so that you won’t get bored eating the same things.

5. Will your family be eating the meal plan with you?

 Having a family or staying with your family can be very difficult when it comes to eating healthy.  When you have a family, you should try to have your family partake in the meal plan.  Eating healthy is always better as a team, but if your family is not on board you need to have the discipline and the will power to not fall into the bad habit eating of your family.

6. Can the meal plan stand up to peer pressure, or make you feel like you are missing out on life? 

Your new diet plan should allow you to enjoy the different variety of foods such as different fruits, vegetables, healthy wheat carbs, etc.  Many times when a meal plan is too restrictive it is not a long term plan and cannot be maintained for a lifetime.

7. Does this plan have a start and stop time?

 Many diet plans start off with having to cleanse your body for a week or so, but this is not something you can do for the rest of your life.  Does the diet plan have a transition to a healthy lifelong eating plan?

8. When you read the meal plan, does it make you happy or sad? 

When a diet plan seems impossible it probably is.  It’s not something that you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life.  Pick a plan that makes you smile a plan that you can see making a positive impact on you for the rest of your life.
 
You may have to go thru a few different diet plans to figure out which one works best for you.  The key is to never stop creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself.  Make sure you consult with a doctor, or a registered dietician if you have conditions or you are unsure whether a meal plan will work well for your health.