A few things to consider before jumping into your next diet

The closer we get to the new year, the more you may be feeling that extra motivation, that "New Year, New Me" feeling, to set big goals for your health and crush them in the beginning of the new year. And believe me, I'm all for setting big goals for yourself!

But, more often than not, the first thing you turn to in the new year is a new diet, one that promises to be different than all the rest, but ultimately ends up being exactly the same as all the other diets you've tried...unsustainable and leaves you feeling worse than when you started.

Whether you're thinking about starting a diet in the new year or any other time in the year, there's a few things I want you to consider first, because I personally believe, you'd be better off if you never dieted again!

Three questions to take into consideration before jumping into your next diet

#1 Is the diet sustainable for my lifestyle?? AKA Could I eat this way forever?

I remember the exciting days of dieting. Deciding to start a new one, going to get all the new "healthy" food I was going to be eating from the store, bringing them home, and prepping them all. Then I remember eating those foods day after day, slowly getting more and more sick of the same foods I was eating on repeat.

Can you relate?? That's how diets reel you in! They are so exciting when you start, but you don't take into consideration your actual likes and dislikes when it comes to foods, therefore you get stuck eating the same food the diet tells you to eat over and over again, eventually getting so sick of it, and getting to the point where you "fall off the wagon" and don't follow the diet anymore.

Diets are meant to be a quick fix, a band-aid if you will. They don't truly get to the root of your problems, nor do they help make your relationship with food any better.

So before jumping into your next diet, be sure to ask yourself whether you could really eat this way forever.

#2 Will I be able to eat any of the foods I truly enjoy?

One thing I think we've all learned over our dieting years is we usually have to sacrifice our favorite foods once we start a new diet. And while it doesn't seem so bad in the beginning, consider how much you think about and miss your favorite foods while you're on a diet?

Sure there are cheat days right? But how disordered is that?! You can't have any of your favorite foods all week, but one day a week you devote to ALL of your favorite foods which only leads to binge eating of that food and feeling crappy for it.

Another thing that never sat right with me when it came to cheat days is the guilt involved with them. Why do you need a day to tell you that you can eat anything you want and not feel guilty for it? Wouldn't it be even more amazing if every day you could eat what you wanted and not feel guilty for it?

My point is, when you have to restrict your favorite foods because of a diet, all it leads to is overeating of that food when you finally allow yourself to have it.

If you were to let yourself have your favorite foods whenever you wanted, you may be surprised to find you actually crave that food less than when you were dieting!

So before starting another diet, be sure to ask yourself if you would be able to enjoy your favorite foods without feeling guilty or overdoing every time you do have them.

#3 How will starting this diet really impact my relationship with food

Diets typically have a negative impact on your relationship with food by causing stress and guilt in your life and making you feel bad if you eat an "unhealthy" food. I want you to know that feeling guilty for eating your fav food does not have to be your normal!

I also want you to know that the stress around food that diets place in your life is causing you way more harm than good, which is why I want you to take this question into consideration. How is starting another diet going to impact your relationship with food?

Is it going to bring you guilt after you eat 1 cookie? (for real it's 1 cookie, it's not going to hurt your health as much as you think)

Is it going to make you feel like you have to sneak your favorite foods late at night when no one else is awake so you don't feel shameful because if no one else knows it doesn't count right?

Or, is another diet going to stop you from going out to eat with your friends because there wouldn't be any foods available for you to eat since it's not on your diet?

The point is, diets have a lot of say and control over your life, and that control it has over your life usually turns into something more negative, like binge or emotional eating.

So if a diet is going to negatively impact your mindset and relationship with food, then it may be time to reconsider.

The bottom line

If you were to ask me whether you should start another diet again, my answer would be no, but I think it's important for you to answer that for yourself in order to really make your decision to be done with dieting for good.

I also think it's important not only to ask yourself the questions above, but also be informed with the truth by what diets have mislead you to believe. Check out one of my later blog posts here that goes more in depth on why diets truly don't work in the long run.

Lastly, as a non-diet dietitian who believes in the confidence and happiness that comes from intuitive eating, I highly recommend you check out the books and workbooks listed in my resources page by clicking here. It's exactly what you need to learn what the heck intuitive eating is and how to implement it into your life!

I'd love to support you as you heal from years of dieting and embark on your journey to find your own freedom with food through intuitive eating. Click here to book one of my free Intuitive Eater Assessments and get a 30-minute call with me where you'll leave knowing the exact next steps to take to implement intuitive eating into your life.

Disclaimer: If you purchase products through links posted on this site, I may earn money through affiliate partners, however, all opinions on products are genuine.