Even for the Lazy! How to Graduate from Troublesome Dieting
It seemed doable even for a lazy person like me, so I put it all together 🤣
Summary
To you who feel that "dieting is a hassle." In this article, I introduce a "relaxed and delicious" diet method that doesn't aim for perfection but just adds a little something to your daily life. I'll share tips that even lazy people can continue without strain, such as making smart choices at convenience stores and simple dietary improvements. Let's accumulate small successful experiences and get a healthy body!
Even for the Lazy! How to Graduate from Troublesome Dieting
I sometimes think, "Why is dieting so troublesome?" Restricting meals stoically from morning to night, or forcing myself to go to the gym when I'm tired. Somehow, dieting feels like "penance," and even before I start, I feel like, "Ah, maybe this is impossible for me," and I feel like giving up.
But actually, you don't have to be so tense. I used to believe that "if I don't do it perfectly, it's meaningless!" and would give up immediately if things didn't go well. However, as I tried various methods, I found diet tips that even "lazy people" can find easier, and above all, think, "Maybe I can keep this up!"
In this article, based on my own real experiences, I will share tips for a diet that you can continue without strain, which might make even a lazy person like you think, "Maybe I can do this!" There is nothing difficult at all. These are all methods where your body naturally feels lighter just by adding a little ingenuity to your usual life. First, why not take a peek into that world of "relaxed" dieting?
[Diet Edition] Even for the Lazy! "Relaxed and Delicious" Diet Meal Techniques
Don't aim for "perfection"! Relaxed dietary improvements to start from here
When I hear the word diet, I sometimes think, "I have to restrict my meals stoically" or "I have to do hard exercise every day," and I give up before I even start, thinking, "It's impossible..." But actually, you don't have to be so tense. When you aim for "perfection," you want to quit everything just because things don't go well for a moment. Instead, I realize that starting "loosely" is the secret to long-term success.
The first step is to break away from "zero or one hundred" thinking, which is the idea of "doing everything or doing nothing at all." For example, suppose you were drinking sweet juice every day. Deciding "I won't drink it at all starting tomorrow" is quite a high hurdle, isn't it? But, by changing it just a little, like "first, make it water or tea only three times a week" or "limit it to one bottle a day," doesn't that feel like something you could do?
I used to do extreme things like "no carbohydrates for dinner," but I would get stressed and end up binge eating... Since then, I started limiting it to things like "halving the white rice at dinner" or "adding one more side dish," and I was able to continue without strain. And I was able to feel the effects properly. This leads to small successful experiences.
As you accumulate these small changes of "just this for now," you gain confidence and want to try various other things. For example, even if you just change sweet drinks to water or tea, you'll be happy saying, "I did it!" if it lasts for a week. That happiness becomes the motivation for the next step. Why not adopt this way of thinking about a diet meal without strain that even a lazy person like me can think, "Maybe I can do this"?
Even if there are days when you think, "I ate a little too much today" or "I couldn't exercise," please don't blame yourself. Even if there are such days, you can just return to your "relaxed" goals from the next day. The important thing is that, looking at it as a whole, healthy habits are gradually being acquired. So, it doesn't have to be perfect. First, let's start with a small step you can take today.
A must-see for the lazy! "Add-on" diet that can be done without effort
When you hear the word diet, you feel like the hurdle is high from the beginning, thinking, "I have to cook properly every day" or "calorie counting seems difficult." I was the same. But there is an "add-on" diet that even "lazy people" can continue without strain. There is nothing special. Just by adding a little bit of ingenuity to your usual life, your meals will surprisingly become balanced.
First, here are tips for making smart choices at convenience stores and when eating out. For example, when buying a bento, it makes a difference just to choose one that includes grilled fish or vegetable side dishes instead of a menu that is only fried chicken. It's also easy to add salad chicken or boiled eggs. If eating out, have them reduce the rice in a set meal, or consciously choose vegetable stir-fry or salad when ordering individual items. This way, you can have a meal with better nutritional balance than usual without spending time cooking. When I'm too tired from work to have the energy to cook, I sometimes just have salad chicken, cut vegetables, and one rice ball from a convenience store. Just doing that, the guilt is also minimized.
Next, here are tips for balancing nutrition without spending time cooking. This is to make good use of frozen vegetables and cut vegetables. For example, when making miso soup, just adding frozen spinach or green onions as they are improves the color and increases the nutritional value. It's also easy to throw in frozen broccoli when boiling pasta. Also, canned mackerel and canned tuna are convenient. Just putting them on a salad or making them into a dressed dish allows you to take in high-quality protein. I often do a "just mix" breakfast where I mix frozen berries and chia seeds into yogurt on busy mornings. Just this makes the satisfaction different from usual.
And, how to choose "reward" snacks that you can enjoy without guilt. Even when dieting, if you cut out sweets completely, you'll end up feeling stressed, right? That's why it's important to choose wisely. For example, if you choose chocolate, go for one with a high cacao content; if you choose snacks, pick individually wrapped ones and decide, "I'll only have this much today." Dried fruits and nuts can also provide nutrition if eaten in small amounts. Also, making homemade flavored water by adding a little fruit to unsweetened carbonated water can be a nice change of pace. When I really want something sweet, I just have one piece of chocolate with 70% or more cacao. Often, that's enough to feel satisfied. I've realized that stacking up these small efforts is the secret to continuing without strain as a lazy diet method."
[Exercise & Habits Edition] "I'm not good at exercise..." That's okay! Lazy dieting that blends into your daily life
"I have to exercise!" Is that old news? Ways to turn your daily routine into diet time
When I think, "I have to exercise!" the hurdle suddenly goes up, and I sometimes think, "Maybe it's impossible after all..." But actually, there are many ways to lead to a diet just by changing your usual life a little, without doing any special exercise. This time, from the perspective of such "no-exercise dieting," I will share ways to turn your daily life into diet time.
First, commuting to work or school is surprisingly full of chances to move your body. For example, just walking for one station's distance stimulates muscles you don't usually use and is a nice change of pace. If you don't like crowded trains, it's also good to leave home a little earlier and take a longer route than usual. Even for those who commute by car, parking at the edge of the company parking lot and increasing the distance you walk makes a difference. The same goes for between chores. When vacuuming, try walking with slightly larger strides than usual, or when hanging laundry, try reaching up while stretching. These small accumulations surprisingly increase the calories you burn.
Next, "while-doing exercise" that you can do while watching TV or listening to music is also recommended. Starting with simple things you can do while sitting is easy to continue without strain. For example, doing a few squats during TV commercials or stepping in place while watching a drama is effective. If you spend a lot of time sitting, it's also important to consciously increase the number of times you stand up. It's a good rule to set a timer and stand up to stretch once an hour. I also try to stand up once an hour to get a drink or look out the window so I don't stay sitting while working. I feel this improves blood circulation and helps maintain concentration.
Furthermore, as a way to prevent sitting for too long, it might be interesting to place a cushion at your feet while working or studying to consciously avoid slouching, or to try sitting on a balance ball. A balance ball naturally trains your core just by sitting on it, and even just swaying on it occasionally is good exercise. At home, when relaxing on the sofa, it makes a difference if you don't just sit there but consciously engage your abs and correct your posture a little. Like this, just by being conscious of "moving your body a little" in every scene of daily life without setting aside special time, dieting becomes much more accessible. As the keyword "lazy diet" suggests, I've realized that incorporating it enjoyably and without strain is the secret to long-term success.
Even I, who get bored easily, kept it up! Gamification techniques to maintain motivation
When I keep dieting, I sometimes hit a wall where I think, "Huh, I don't feel motivated..." Especially when it's the same thing every day, I get bored. At times like that, what I practiced and thought, "I can keep this up!" was the enjoying dieting like a gametechnique.
First, I started by setting many small goals instead of one big one. For example, easy-to-clear goals like "this week, I'll achieve 30 minutes of walking three times" or "I'll keep a meal record every day." And when I achieve that goal, I prepare a reward for myself. In my case, the reward for achieving a small goal was something modest, like buying one sweet I was curious about or making time to watch a favorite movie. Then, I can think, "I'll do my best for this reward!"
Next, keeping a record. This is truly important. At first, I simply jotted down my weight, exercise content, and meals for the day in a handwritten notebook. But recently, there are many convenient diet apps, so I'm utilizing those. With an app, you can see trends in graphs and your goal achievement rate is displayed, so it's easy to visually boost your motivation. By recording, you get a sense of accomplishment like "I worked this hard today," and since it's easy to be vague without a record, like "Wait, what did I eat today?", it was also useful for meal management.
And, not carrying it all alone and finding companions was also effective. If you search with hashtags like "#LookingForDietBuddies" on social media, you can find many people who are working hard on their diets just like you. By cheering each other on for goal achievement and sharing worries, the feeling of loneliness decreases, and it becomes a stimulus. I also started reporting my progress once a week to someone I met online, and it made me feel, "I'll do my best because I'm reporting to this person."
Since incorporating these gamification techniques, dieting changed from mere "endurance" to "enjoyment." I've realized that the accumulation of achieving small goals leads to confidence and is the secret to maintaining motivation. Since continuing a diet is most important to do steadily, please try it.
Summary
Up to here, I've shared tips for dieting that even lazy people can continue without strain. That you don't need to make your meals "perfect," that it's okay to just "add a little" to your usual life, and ways to turn your daily life into diet time without being bound by the fixed idea that "I have to exercise!" Furthermore, even the gamification techniques that I, who get bored easily, could continue. None of these require special talent or time; they are all things I myself have tried one by one, thinking, "Maybe I can do this."
When it comes to dieting, we tend to think, "I'll get serious starting tomorrow!" right? But that "tomorrow" never comes, or even if you start, you give up just because things don't go well, thinking, "It's impossible for me after all." I have tons of those experiences too. That's exactly why I wanted to deliver the message, **"It doesn't have to be perfect" and "It's okay to be lazy,"** to everyone again. Because it's really true.
First, why not try just one thing, something very small, after today? For example, try changing the juice you usually drink to water or tea. Try adding a convenience store salad chicken to your lunch box. Try using the stairs for just one floor instead of the elevator. Just such a really small step is fine. That small step will lead to your confidence of "I did it!" and should naturally lead you to the next small step.
By continuing to diet, there is the visible change of losing weight, but more than that, my physical condition getting better, clothes looking better on me, and above all, the birth of confidence that "even I can do it" was the greatest treasure for me. That is by no means something special, and I think it's a future that you can all realize in the same way. Without rushing, at your own pace, while enjoying it, let's stack up healthy days. I'm rooting for you.