What 3 words spring to mind when you think of the word, “diet?” For example, the Lemon Detox diet, where you only consume lemon drinks for a week to 10 days. Or the Cabbage Soup diet, where you eat cabbage soup ONLY for 7 days. Um, no thanks! When I look at diets like these, this is what I think of: – It’s completely unsustainable: You can’t possibly eat that way long term. – It’s totally restrictive: Anything that majorly cuts out food groups has danger written all over it. – They’re boring: Food is one of life’s joys. We need variety!nPlus, they’re counterproductive. Any time you cut calories dramatically, your body stores fat because it’s not getting what it needs from the food you are eating. Then, when you begin to eat normally again, your metabolism is in such a state that it works less effectively than before. As I said, food is one of life’s joys, and I just don’t believe that you need to compromise on your favourite foods in order to achieve your dream body. Of course, we can’t sit around and eat ice-cream all day and expect to be super lean, but there’s no reason that you can’t enjoy it, guilt-free, from time to time. How GOOD is Mister Fitz’s Ice Cream?!nIf you eat healthy most of the time, you can afford to treat yourself every now and then. Here’s a few things we do each week: – Luke and I have “date night,” even if it’s at home in front of a movie. We normally get hamburgers, fish and chips! – We have only dark chocolate in the house, and it must be 70{8964c77004c80ceb7a483a88d57a7a9902025e52f9fec2df9408e739e584e0eb} cocoa or higher. (It’s better for you than milk/white chocolate). I have 1 piece every night, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Dark chocolate is an acquired taste though, and I had to work up to it, but now, I love it! She gets it from her mumma!n- If we ever decide to get something sweet, like ice-cream, we usually have it out and about (not at home) and only have enough for 1 serve. That way, we don’t bring it home and have leftovers for days to come! – I love my carbs and I don’t feel guilty for eating them! I always eat high energy carbs like pasta, potato, bread, etc after I do a workout. That’s because my body is burning at a higher rate, so I need that higher energy food to help me recover. Carbs are not the enemy – they are actually essential to keep us alive!nThese are just a few simple strategies I use to help me stay on track. I eat better when I don’t feel like I’m being restricted, so by having a little bit of indulgence, I’m happy to eat the veggies 95{8964c77004c80ceb7a483a88d57a7a9902025e52f9fec2df9408e739e584e0eb} of the time!nWhat other tips can you think of to help you LIVE while you work on achieving your health and fitness goals?