I believe a diet shouldn't really be a diet if it doesn't become part of your lifestyle, as a diet shouldn't be seen as a short term lifestyle change, but rather something you should endeavour to undertake throughout your life.
That being said, it can be quite challenging at times for people to resist the temptation to get those packets of tim tams, chips etc. I agree, personally, I too feel the urge to dig into those. But having these in moderation and within a controlled manner is the key to what I have come to believe as the best way to consume it and be in 'control'.
Should I go cold turkey?
It's hard going 'cold turkey', i.e. going without those comfort foods completely, as it has most likely become a part of our lifestyle and is part of our daily 'habits'. It is this habit that needs to be changed and this can't be changed like an on and off switch, but rather as a gradual change - as habits are hard to get out of.
If going cold turkey is not going to work, then what do I suggest? I suggest going cold turkey but towards a 5-6 days a week of healthy eating and then allowing that extra day or two to be able to deviate from that. It will be an outlet and a guiltfree day where you can enjoy some of those foods you enjoy, but at least it won't be on an everyday basis. You can start small and build your way up, it just depends on what you aim to achieve ulitmately. You should however try have smaller portions and have those foods in moderation, though I know that may be tricky at the start, and this is how often you should stick to this lifestyle change, but what do I eat?
What you should eat?
These are so many different foods you can eat, from Chinese to Indian, to Japanese, to Italian... But what should you be eating?
I'll say, use your commonsense and try to choose foods which are generally steamed rather than fried and not cooked in too much oil. But is that too general?
Think about the nutritional value of the food you eat
Think also about the nutritional benefits, i.e. the potential vitamins and minerals that you are likely to gain from eating the choosen meal. It may take time to understand what foods are best for which vitamins and minerals and that will come with time (I'll cover that later on). As one can only really eat so much during each meal before you get full, so you need to choose wisely otherwise you'll be filling yourself up with low nutritional foods that won't leave you feeling as energetic and lively as you would like!
The nutritional value diet
So think about the nutritional value you can achieve from each meal and what best suits what you aim to achieve from changing your eating habits.
