Don't fall into the Lent 'diet trap'

Lent is almost upon us. And for many people, the occasion triggers the start of some sort of drastic, restrictive diet for the next 6 weeks or so.

But before you decide to give up all your treats, let’s pause for a moment to think rationally about this.

“Traditionally Lent is a season of reflection before the celebrations of Easter, and it can be a good time to re-think your approach to eating if you’re able to do so from a healthy mindset: the 40 days of Lent are more about discipline than denial.

“Yet overnight, people use it as an excuse to give up biscuits, coffee, alcohol – the list goes on, for health or weight loss benefits. But this approach is not sustainable or beneficial in the long run because short-term abstinence rarely creates lasting lifestyle change. When foods are ‘off-limits’ they’re much more attractive – and you’re much more likely to over indulge when the 40 days is up.

“Restriction almost always leads to binging – and therein lies the problem. Anyone who has ever ‘yo-yo’ dieted, or has an ‘all or nothing’ mentality will know that if you decide to cut out your favourite foods, you’re likely to massively overcompensate at the end – and that’s no benefit to anyone.

“So this year, try making a point of not using Lent as an excuse to jump into a super-restrictive diet.

“If you’re trying to lose weight, a good place to start is to look at exactly what you usually eat – your portion sizes, and overall balance of nutrients in your diet, rather than cutting something out completely. Tracking what you eat in a food diary can be a real eye opener.

“An easy way to do this is by using a calorie tracking App like Nutracheck – you’ll quickly see where you could make some positive changes. We need to get away from the idea that some foods are ‘bad’ – it’s more down to how much we are eating of it and how often”.

“Start by making small changes you can live with. A few smart food swaps will have a far greater impact on weight loss in the long term than trying to cut foods out – and help you avoid an Easter Sunday chocolate blow out!