A question I get a lot from people is, “What diet plan do you recommend for me to follow to lose weight?”  It’s such a hard question because there’s simply no right answer for it. (Diet in the context of this post is defined as the sum of food consumed by a person)

Weight Watchers, Clean Eating, Crying It Out, and Co-sleeping : Things to Consider When Making a Decision for your family : peak313.com

There are so many diet plans and theories out there that it’s overwhelming! Each claim their own benefits and have personal success stories. You’ll find some with similar “rules” and others that take everything you’ve learned about eating and thrown it out the window. The question gets even more complicated when we have families also to consider. It’s one thing to choose this information as a single or married couple, yet quite another when you have children to also cook for and feed! So what’s a person to do?

It reminds me of when my son was a newborn. As a new mom I was completely overwhelmed with the amount of information out there in regards to sleep training.

Do I let my son cry it out? Do I rock him to sleep? Should we co-sleep? Should he have a pacifier?

(Photo Source)

Every time I would read about a method, I would read about another that would also resonate with me. At the end of the day, I had a ton of information, a cluttered brain and a baby who was still waking in the middle of the night. It was so frustrating and what it left me to do was nothing. I played around with one method, then 4 days later would try another. I accomplished nothing and left my poor son confused.

I think we do the same thing sometimes with our eating habits. We read up on something we’ve heard from a friend, Dr. Oz, or the latest Fitness magazine. We clear out our cabinets, make room in our budget and go a new route….until we get hung up for one reason or another. We stop and re-start with another method. It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Here are some things that I’ve found successful families have considered when making a choice in not only this area, but others!

Keep these things in mind while choosing a diet plan for your family:

Family Dynamic.

Each family has their own set of challenges and resources available to them. Some families have members with food allergies. Some have LARGE families. Some have very limited resources available to them. Do not try and do what your friends or other family members are doing. Their situation will be different and you are held accountable for YOUR family.

Budget.

The honest (& unfortunate) truth is that eating healthier is more expensive. Now for many families (mine included) this extra expense is worth it because of the positive advantages it provides now and will provide in the future, however there will be a point where you have to weigh that out. It doesn’t make sense to live totally organic but not make a car payment.

Effectiveness.

How’s it working for you?It’s a great Dr. Phil quote, but it’s something I tell folks a lot. At the end of the day, is what you are using giving you the results you need and want? If what you are doing causes resentment and distaste (no pun intended) in your mouth, then maybe it’s time to move towards something that works. (Remember though, you must be consistent for some period of time to actually measure if it’s effective. Minimum of 4 weeks is my recommendation)

Pray.

Yes. That’s right.I remember someone telling me this AFTER I spent hours researching on sleep methods. Why I thought about that AFTER the fact blows my mind. I needed to seek wisdom from the Lord. It’s no different in our health either.

I believe that it does take a lot of hard work and fortitude to push through things that are hard and unnatural in life. Changing your diet is one of these things, so when you finally get on a plan you have researched, give it some time. Get educated. Be prepared and give it your all.