How to Know When it’s Time to Switch
Choosing a diet today is way more complicated than it’s been in the past and some will say for good reason. As we learn more about health and nutrition, we seem to get bogged down with more and more diet trends and fads.
You should always take into consideration all the new and great diets with a grain of salt and realize that what has worked for others may have been a short-term solution and simply not be sustainable long-term.
No surprise right? But in addition, your body has its own genetic makeup, its own history, and your body is unique in a lot of different ways. All of these things have a big impact on the effectiveness of a nutrition plan or as some would call it a “diet”.
What this means is that it may take a little or it may take a lot of trial and error before you find the diet that’s right for you.
The good news is that I’m here to help, and my mission with this blog is to allow things to be just a little easier for my devoted fans who I appreciate so much.
So let’s take a look at some of the common patterns that we all fall into that trip us up. The point here is to get out of the rut and persevere – you’re stronger when you really put your mind to it, don’t forget that!
With that said, if you feel like your diet may not be working, or you’re just not seeing the results you want to see, here are 5 signs that you may be getting it wrong.
5 Signs You Need to Make a Serious Dieting Change
1. You Have Unusual Health Problems
The first one is a big one, but people often underestimate the role of their dietary choices in their everyday health.
If you’ve recently made a major dietary change and now find yourself losing too much weight, gaining weight more quickly, or have strange aches and pains you can’t quite explain, your diet may be to blame. I’ve seen this happen a lot with people who go vegan or paleo without finding the right nutritional substitutes.
2. You’re Getting Serious Cravings
Some cravings are a normal part of life, and especially a normal part of healthy eating. But having uncontrollable cravings that last for hours or seem unusually intense is not normal, and a sign that your body is missing something. If you’ve just made a dietary change, this is probably nothing to worry about. But if these kinds of cravings show up a little later on in the process, it may be time to re-evaluate things.
Looking for some foods that help control cravings? Check out my article on How to Fight Food Cravings.
3. You’re Having a Hard time Dealing with Stress
Your diet also plays a big role in your mental and emotional health, and often you’ll see things manifest emotionally before they do physically. If you feel like you just can’t handle stress on your current diet, or you find yourself becoming anxious more easily, you may be getting too much or too little of something. Consider the vitamin and mineral content of your meals or taking a high quality vitamin like Optimum Opti-Women or Optimum Opti-Men.
4. You’re Exhausted or Can’t Exercise as Much
If you’re getting enough rest and sleep but find your energy level is impossibly low, there’s a good chance that your diet is to blame. One of the primary purposes of food is to provide fuel and energy to your body, so make sure you’re giving your body what it needs.
Looking for some foods that boost your energy levels? Check out my article on How to Increase Energy.
5. You Can’t Sleep
Sleep is also impacted by your dietary choices. If you’re having a hard time getting your sleep back on track and can’t figure out why, try taking a look at your diet. A healthy diet can have a major impact on insomnia and other sleep problems.
So take a look at what you’re eating in the evenings to see how this impacts your sleep, generally you should be staying away from anything with lots of sugar (like cereal ladies!). A natural sleep supplement like Natural Rescue Sleep Remedy is also a good idea to have on hand in case you can’t get over the insomnia.
So What Should You Do Next?
I recommend keeping a food log for one week in order to seriously evaluate your eating habits. Sometimes we don’t realize everything we eat in a day. You can also get in touch with a nutritionist or dietician to give you a hand, or browse through this website for some great diet and nutrition tips.
If you’re looking for one of the healthiest and most sustainable diets that I recommend trying, try my Clean Eating Diet. It includes a great set of basic rules for eating healthy and whole.
Have any questions or feedback about these 5 Signs Your Diet Isn’t Working For You? Please leave a comment below…
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Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.