You have the freedom to be less strict and stay healthy

How do we stay motivated about the food guidelines we set to ourselves with the hope of caring for our wellbeing? The answer is flexibility.

Enjoy a sugary lemonade, or a sweet regular brownie or even a man2oushe for breakfast followed by a knefe. This will do good for you when you enjoy this let-go in moderation and return to it when needed, versus restricting. Because leaving room for freedom is as important as eating healthy and being mindful!

To what extent should you be relaxed about your guidelines, if we don’t want to call them restrictions? The answer is 80/20 rule!

80% of the time, you are more attentive about what you eat, in terms of quality and quantity and 20% of the times, you allow yourself to enjoy the culinary, social, and cultural aspect of any food outing or event!

People think restricting is going to give your body the answer. Yes, it will, in the short term! Big results happen when you sustain a habit for a long period of time. Otherwise, any restriction you do will backfire.

According to research, being strict with your food rules will not actually help you sustain a healthy weight. It is all about a “flexible restraint”, according to behavioral sustainability scientist Michelle Segar, Ph.D.

“In one study, participants who reported dieting more strictly during weekends had a significantly higher chance of regaining the weight they had previously lost over a year’s time, compared to those who reported less strict dieting on the weekends and holiday periods. I another study, flexible restraint was associated with more weight loss and better weight loss maintenance, while rigid restraint was associated with less weight loss  (from an online article by mindbodygreen.com, “An award-winning PhD explains why you shouldn’t diet on the weekends”)

Just remember that you are not just a body but also a soul. So little things that make you happy are actually healthy!