Progress Not Perfection: 5 Tips for Consistent Diet Progress
As we all know, dieting can be a difficult and often, a frustrating process. You look in the mirror day to day and feel disappointment, feeling like you haven’t seeing any change in your body. It’s not uncommon to feel like you’re constantly failing or that you’re not making any progress.
It’s because of your diet mentality. You expect to follow your diet with precision and your results will come week by week. You expect the scale to go down 1-2 lbs every week because how hard can dieting be?
Life happens and unexpected circumstances arise, you panic and fall off your diet. You slip up, your diet is no longer perfect, and you quit because you were unable to meet your unrealistic expectations.
But the truth is, seeing progress doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. I promise, you don’t have to live your life this way.
It’s important to remember that small, consistent changes can lead to big results over time. Today, we’ll explore the concept of progress over perfection and we’ll go over five tips to help you stay consistent in your dieting journey.
Tip #1: Set Realistic Goals
One of the biggest roadblocks to progress is setting unrealistic goals. When you set goals that are too big or too ambitious, it can be overwhelming and discouraging when you don’t see immediate results. Instead, focus on setting smaller, achievable goals that you can work towards each day. For example, instead of saying “I want to lose 20 pounds in a month”, focus on smaller goals like “I want to drink more water each day” or “I want to eat more vegetables with each meal.”
By accomplishing these goals, you will build the confidence to continue your new habits you’ve established while adding on smaller, achievable goals! I always say – A healthy lifestyle is made up of several small habits.
Tip #2: Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress is a great way to stay motivated and to see the progress you’re making over time. Whether you’re tracking your weight, your food intake, or your exercise routine, having tangible data to look at can help you see how far you’ve come and keep you motivated to continue making progress.
Progress can be tracked by the scale, but it is NOT my favorite way of measuring progress. The scale can fluctuate and make you feel like you’re a failure despite all your hard work. It’s important to realize that the scale is just ONE way to track your progress.
More helpful and approachable ways to track your progress would be to take progress pictures, take body measurements, monitor your mental health, blood work results, and many more. It does not have to be a specific number to use as a data point, it can be based on how YOU feel. (If you’re interested in a post explaining ways to monitor your progress, let me know in the comments!)
Tip #3: Celebrate Your Wins
It’s important to celebrate your wins, no matter how small they may seem. Whether you lost a pound this week or were able to resist temptation and avoid eating junk food, take the time to acknowledge your progress and celebrate your wins. This can help you stay motivated and give you the confidence you need to keep moving forward.
This tip is HIGHLY underrated. Again, it’s about building your confidence and knowing you CAN make changes to your diet and stick to them. Just make sure you don’t celebrate by going back to your eating habits you’ve just changed!
Tip #4: Focus on the Journey
Dieting is a journey, not a destination. It’s important to focus on the process and enjoy the journey, rather than solely focusing on the end result. When you’re able to enjoy the journey and find joy in the small successes along the way, you’ll be more likely to stick with your dieting plan and make consistent progress.
I’ve also found that for my clients who enjoy the foods they’re eating, the way they’re exercising, and their new mindset, they’re more likely to be consistent with their journey. The journey is always going to be longer than you think it’ll be and that’s OKAY!
Your new habits that you’ve established to see progress will be with you for life. This is why it’s VERY important to make sure you’re happy with your current lifestyle changes.
Tip #5: Be Kind to Yourself
Finally, it’s important to be kind to yourself throughout the process. We all have setbacks and bad days, and it’s important to remember that these setbacks don’t define us or our progress. Instead of beating yourself up over a bad day or missed workout, be kind to yourself and remember that progress takes time and consistent effort.
You are the only one in charge of how YOU feel. You may slip on your diet, but it’s how you react to that slip up that counts!
So strive for progress not perfection as this is the key to getting to your desired destination. By setting realistic goals, tracking your progress, celebrating your wins, focusing on the journey, and being kind to yourself, you can stay consistent and make progress towards your goals. Remember, small consistent changes can lead to big results over time, so keep moving forward and trust the process.
