Tips for Starting a New Diet This Fall Season

There are so many wonderful things to be excited about for fall – the weather changes, 
the holidays are approaching, the leaves change, and you get to enjoy your favorite 
comfort foods. Unfortunately, this can also mean eating a diet high in sugar and refined 
carbohydrates. This is okay in small amounts, but if you feel like you over-indulge in the 
fall season, it might be a good time to focus on a balanced diet.


Reduce Refined Sugar

There is nothing wrong with enjoying treats and your favorite comfort foods in the fall, 
but when you over-indulge, it could mean feeling miserable, having no energy, and 
putting on unwanted pounds. If you want to try to avoid this and start a new diet in the 
fall, start with your sugar content. This doesn’t mean natural sugar like in fruit or raw 
honey, but the refined sugar found in pastries, donuts, cookies, pie, and other baked 
treats. 

Try to keep these to a minimum, saving them for special occasions; it makes them more 
special, and is a good first step to starting a new diet without feeling like you are 
completely restricting yourself.


Eat Seasonal Foods

Starting a “diet” is not always about taking something away, but adding in something 
healthy. Use this mindset to add in healthy options to your meals and snacks that are in 
season and perfect for fall. For example, some fall superfoods include brussels sprouts, 
apples, pear, pomegranate, cauliflower, and squash. When you add these healthy 
foods, you get a lot more vitamins and minerals, and often feel fuller between meals 
when you fill up on your veggies and fruits. The more veggies you eat, the less refined 
carbs you feel you need.


Focus on a Healthy Balance, Not Restrictions

Again, it is important to focus on a healthy balance in your meals, even when you are 
trying to lose weight or just maintain your weight over the holidays. In the fall, get rid of 
all those diet restrictions, and instead just have balanced meals. If you want bread, eat 
bread! But eat it with a meal that includes lean protein, vegetables, whole grains, and 
maybe some fruit. 


Enjoy Your Exercise

When you start a new diet, it helps to incorporate some exercise as well. Exercise is 
really only 20% of losing weight, while your diet is the remaining 80%. But it does help 
to burn some calories, keep you fit, and give you energy. Plus, when you are exercising 
regularly, it helps a lot with curbing those cravings.
