LIFESTYLE CHANGES!  That is what is needed to make a “diet” work.  Most people try to lose weight, or “eat healthier”- whatever that means- or have more energy so they make several ridiculous changes and go on a “diet” for 3-12 weeks only to revert back to whatever they were doing previously when their will power runs out or their cravings win out. 

Through the next 9 1/2 weeks I am going to stress LIFESTYLE CHANGES.  Don’t make a bunch of impossible dietary changes to try to lose 20 pounds, then go back to what you really want to eat after the contest (because then the weight comes back, and the energy goes down again, etc, etc).  If you have ever done the Atkins Diet, you know what I mean!

Instead, pick one or two things that are manageable and start doing them today. 

MAKE THEM PERMANENT LIFESTYLE CHANGES.

An example of this would be- you normally drink a diet soda every day at 2 PM.  Make a lifestyle change that you are going to drink a soda twice a week instead of 5 or 6.  Or you normally eat cereal or pop tarts or instant oatmeal for breakfast- make a lifestyle change that you are going to eat more good fats and proteins (nuts, yogurt, eggs) with more whole food carbohydrates (oatmeal, fresh fruit) on 3-4 mornings a week.  Or you normally eat fast food every day, make a manageable lifestyle change to eat healthier alternatives like Subway or Chipotle 3-4 times a week and fast food only once or twice a week.

The goal here is not a drastic short term change in diet, but a manageable and measurable step in the right direction.  Keep doing this for a year or two and there is no telling where you will end up!