Effortlessly Stick to Your Diet: 14 Tried-and-True Techniques for Mastering Dietary Restrictions (Stress-Free)

Being on a restricted diet can be challenging, no matter whether you’ve done it 10 times before or if this is your first time. It also doesn’t matter what kind of restriction it is - change is always hard, no matter how small or big. 

I’ve been on many restricted diets in the last 10 years, most of them I’ve imposed upon myself to try to heal my gut. Last year I finally started working with an experienced practitioner and am now on another restricted diet. You can read all about the journey that got me to this place here. 

This time it feels different, because I’m following the advice and recommendations of someone who’s been there before and has helped many others through similar challenges. This time I’m not doing it alone and I have very specific reasons for why I’m eating certain foods and not others.

Still, it’s hard for me, too. But after being on so many restricted diets over the years, I’ve come to understand a few things that make it easier. Let’s dive into those - I hope they’ll keep you going on your own journey.

1. Learn

Knowledge and understanding around your diet can be really helpful. You need to not only understand why you’re doing it, but also why certain foods are off-limits and why others are favorable. E.g. I’m cutting out sugar because it feeds yeast and mold, which is what I’m trying to kill. 

Research alternative foods, recipes, and what meals others have prepared who are on the same or a similar diet. 

Clearly understanding the ins and outs of your diet and the reasons why, can also help you when explaining to those around you why you’re not eating certain foods. It will help them better understand and support you, and they might be more than happy to eat the same food as you.

Since I started eating a diet low in oxalates, my partner has become more aware of oxalates as well and has started to limit certain foods (not to an extreme extent in any way, but he’s happy sharing meals and eating what I can eat).

2. Set Clear, Achievable Goals

Setting goals gives you direction and something tangible to work towards. You just need to make sure you’re setting realistic goals. If you're cutting out sugar, for example, a goal might be to reduce your intake by half within a month, rather than cutting it out entirely all at once. Break down your goals into smaller, manageable steps. 

3. Listen to Your Body

Your body is your most honest guide. Pay attention to how different foods make you feel. It can be helpful to keep a food journal or track your symptoms in other ways (make it easy for you). I use my cycle tracking app to write down some notes on foods and symptoms, which is easy for me since I use the app all the time anyway.

Over time, you’ll start to notice patterns. Self-awareness doesn’t mean you’ll never be tempted again, but it can really support you when making decisions on what you want to eat by remembering how certain foods make you feel. (For example, I haven’t had a lot of alcohol at any one time since New Year’s Eve 2009 when I felt awful the next day. So bad indeed that my body and brain still remembers. Whenever I have some alcohol now (which is rare anyway, for health reasons) I can easily stop myself from having more - because I don’t ever want to go to that place again).

4. Decide Once

Make a decision once and commit. Decide what you will and won’t eat, and then stick to it. When you’re at the supermarket shopping and you’re walking down the ice cream aisle, you won’t even have to think about whether you should get some ice cream or not. Because you’ve already decided. 

No more being torn by those two voices in your head, one saying “you really want that ice cream/chips/whatever it is” and the other saying” you shouldn’t get it”. You’ve already decided. Trust me, this takes so much weight off your shoulders and reduces your mental effort so much. It’s really worth committing once.

5. Find a Support System

If you can, find others who are on the same diet as you, whether in real life or online. For me, this low oxalate facebook group has been helpful for learning (see point 1 above) and for feeling inspired. It’s also great if you have questions and can draw on someone else’s experience.

6. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is such a buzzword these days, but it can transform the way you look at and think about your food. Try mindful eating practices, where you focus on the present moment and really enjoy each bite without distraction. Pay attention to your food (no watching TV or TikTok while you eat, no working or reading the news, etc.). 

This can help you appreciate the foods you can eat more and feel less resentment towards them. What’s the point in feeling frustrated or deprived anyway? It doesn’t feel good and it won’t change anything. So you might as well feel grateful and in love with the things you can eat.

Mindfulness also means being kind to yourself, recognizing that you don’t need to be perfect. No one is. Messing up is normal and ok, and an opportunity to learn from and learn more about yourself and your needs.

7. Eat Enough, Be Full, and EAT YOUR PROTEIN!

I mentioned just above under ‘Mindfulness’ that you can practice falling in love with the foods you can eat. One thing that really helps here: Eat enough satiating foods that you truly enjoy. When you’re full and satisfied with your meal, you’ll stop craving those other things you’re trying to avoid.

To achieve this easily, focus on high-protein meals and fiber. This is definitely the easiest way to feel satiated. Eat enough protein! I can’t stress this enough!! Only vegetables (although they’re full of fiber) won’t be enough. You’ll be full for a little bit, and then you’ll feel hungry again. So you need both. Fish, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Venison, Kangaroo, Pork, Eggs, Beans, Protein Powder/Collagen, …

Make sure to also add some healthy fats to your meal, they also help in keeping you satiated and are good for you and good for your hormones (cholesterol is a precursor to sex hormones, which can benefit from adding good sources of fat). 

By healthy fats I mean omega-3 rich fats (e.g. from fish or flax seeds), monounsaturated fats like olive oil, avocado, walnuts, and some saturated fats e.g. from grass-fed, regeneratively raised beef. 

(Side note: Avoid trans fats and industrial seed oils (soybean oil, canola/rapeseed oil, corn, peanut, sunflower) - they’re highly processed and heated to extremely high temperatures that oxidize the fatty acids. In the process they’re also often bleached and deodorized. Just all round bad for you!)

8. Plant or Pick Your Own Food

When you plant your own vegetables, you’ll be so much more excited to harvest and eat them! You can start with something easy like lettuce herbs. In a lot of places you can also join local gardening clubs, which has the added bonus of meeting new people and being social. And if you really don’t have anywhere to plant some vegetables or just don’t want to, you could always go pick your own, e.g. go strawberry picking in Summer or help out your neighbour during harvest season.

9. Be Creative and Experiment

Having limits on what you can and can’t eat opens new doors for you. It encourages you to try new things, look up new recipes, experiment with new herbs and spices, and replace certain foods with alternatives. Instead of focusing on restrictions, you can shift your focus to a whole new world of culinary adventures. Don’t focus on what you can’t have. Focus on what you can have. Plus, cooking for yourself means you know exactly what’s going into your meal and how it’s prepared.

10. Adapt and Adjust

Staying flexible is key. Your dietary needs and restrictions might change over time, and what works for you now might not work in the future. Be open to adjusting your diet and strategies as needed. 

11. 80/20

It’s ok to not be perfect 100% of the time. It just causes unnecessary stress, and it’s almost impossible. I’m the worst offender here. I can go all in and become quite obsessive once I’ve made up my mind. In some ways it helps me stay committed and stick to the diet. But in other ways it also leads to stress when my usual routine is disrupted.

Sometimes you want to eat out, have people over, just don’t feel great, get sick, or just need a break. 

So what I do now is focus on getting it right about 80% of the time, and giving myself some slack the other 20% of the time.

BUT be careful: make sure you set some “rules” around your percentages (and stay self-aware). Otherwise it can become a slippery slope and before you know it you’ve fallen off the bandwagon and your diet is more like 20% on point and 80% eating whatever takes your fancy, i.e. chips, cake and coke.

12. Know Yourself

Not everyone is the same, and for some of us tip 11 just above might not work. You might not be able to limit yourself to “just a little bit” of ice cream, chips, whatever it is. You might end up eating the whole tub of ice cream. If that’s you, just be aware of it and use that knowledge to set some rules for yourself. E.g. “No ice cream in the house, whatsoever. No matter what.” The key here is to be very clear in advance and make sure you have mentally committed to being all in (or out).

13. Get the Basics Right

Focus on the basics and excel in those. Oftentimes it’s not about the tiny little details that we can become hyper obsessed about. It’s about getting the basics right. I.e. limiting sugar, unhealthy fats, any other foods that don’t work for you, and nourishing our body with nutritious foods instead (e.g. healthy fats, protein, vegetables, organ meats, etc.). 

So whenever you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, bring it back to the basics and simplify everything. 

14. There is More to Life

Finally, remember: your diet doesn’t have to take over your life!!! It’s just one aspect of what you do each day. Yes, we all need to eat, and yes, for most of us food is joy. But health is about so much more, and we have the mental capacity to control what we focus on, what we think, and how we approach our unique situation.

The fact that you’re reading this right now already shows that you’re taking control of your situation and your thoughts. :) So - I'd love to hear how you manage your dietary restrictions and if there are any specific techniques that have worked for you. Sharing your stories and strategies can help us all and create that support network I mentioned above.