“It’s Not A Diet, It’s A Lifestyle” – How To Make The Shift

28 Dec “It’s Not A Diet, It’s A Lifestyle” – How To Make The Shift

Posted at 15:42h in Advice by

It’s become one of those cliché nutritionist sayings, but if you want to be lean and healthy long-term, it’s worth contemplating.

We all know that sustainable lifestyle changes are preferable to short term quick fixes. Yet still, many of the new clients who come to our weight loss clinic are caught in that yo-yo dieting trap. They have lost weight and regained it again, often more than once.

I am a nutritionist who specialise in weight loss. My team and I have worked with hundreds of women and men to help them make the shift from short-term diets to long-term lifestyle changes. When I first speak with clients with this sort of yo-yo dieting history I make two things very clear:

1. I want this to be the last weight loss journey they embark on.

2. I need them to understand, right from the start, that maintenance is where the real work lies. They’ve proven they can ‘diet’ and lose weight, but once the weight is lost the job isn’t finished. A commitment needs to be made to working on transitioning from ‘diet’ to ‘lifestyle’ so that healthy habits stick for the long term and weight loss is maintained.

So how do you make the transition from ‘diet’ to ‘lifestyle’? 

FROM DIET TO LIFESTYLE

Recently, I have seen a shift in a couple of my clients where they’ve transitioned from ‘diet’ to ‘lifestyle’. What does this look like in practice? 

It looks like…

Exercising regularly, rather than just before going on holiday.

Consistently keeping your alcohol intake in check, rather than just doing Dry January once a year. 

Making healthy choices on holiday and over Christmas, rather than using these occasions to justify overconsumption of unhealthy foods. 

Enjoying delicious healthy meals, rather than existing on grilled chicken and steamed broccoli and living for a ‘cheat meal’ at the end of the week. 

But more than what it looks like on a practical level, it’s about the mindset shift.

THE MINDSET SHIFT

Rather than seeing healthy eating and exercise as something you do short-term to lose some weight, it’s something you choose for life. 

It’s looking for opportunities to make the healthy choice, rather than making excuses. Because the fact is, if it’s excuses you’re looking for, you’ll always find them. But if you’re focussed on the opportunities, that’s what you’ll find instead.  

There’s no denying that this can take a concerted effort to begin with. Often we have ingrained habits and behaviours that can take a little time to shift. Having someone experienced to guide you as you make this transition can be invaluable. It doesn’t take long for new habits and behaviours to form and for the healthier choice to simply become what you do. That is when it switches from being a diet to a lifestyle. That is when you switch to maintaining a consistent weight that you’re happy at, enjoying good energy levels and so many other benefits. 

OUR GOAL FOR YOU

That is our goal for you. It’s why my team and I work in the way that we do. It’s why working with us is about so much more than being handed a generic diet plan and being given disapproving looks when you don’t follow it. We are here to support you with everything you need to transition from ‘diet’ to ‘lifestyle’.

If you’re ready to embark on a more long-term strategy for your health, wellbeing and weight this New Year, we can help. Simply click this link to book in for a complimentary call with one of our experts. We can talk through your challenges and make a plan for how you can make that all important shift. 

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SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.


Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

 

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of th clinic.

 

Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning.

 

A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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