Besides robins and daffodils, one of the surest signs of spring is the sudden proliferation of diets on the market- all promising to help you shed your winter weight and look great in a bathing suit by Memorial Day. Before you take the bait stop and think: will this spring’s diet really be more effective than the one you went on last April, where, yeah, you lost a few pounds but gained them back as soon as you started eating more than just egg whites and vegetable juice.

All that dieting is an emotionally exhausting and physically dangerous roller coaster- I know personally because in my teen years I was on that ride and it nearly led me to an eating disorder. What pulled me out of that vortex (besides studying nutrition) was to eliminate the word “diet” from my vocabulary entirely. “Diet” implies a plan that you go on for a while, and then go off again. It doesn’t invite long term thinking. Oftentimes, it is a plan that involves extreme, unsustainable, and unnecessary sacrifice. Plus, one of the top risk factors for binge eating is, you guessed it- dieting.

Instead of going on a diet this spring make changes you can live with; changes that will help you realize your potential physically and emotionally, not just for this coming bathing suit season, but for the many that lie ahead. Here are three steps in the right direction:

Pick Three
Change can be overwhelming so we turn to diets because they give us a concrete starting point. But, that starting point isn’t about you; it’s about the diet plan. Instead, tailor your changes to your specific needs. Sit down and think about three concrete changes you can make to improve your well-being. For example, switch from a muffin to a piece of fruit as an afternoon snack, start each day with a healthy breakfast, or sign up for an exercise class. Make sure all three things are doable and specific, and stick to them.

Stop Eating Before You Are Full
Many of us have lost sight of our internal cues of hunger and fullness, something diets force us to ignore. As you are eating, slow down and check in to what level of fullness you feel. On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is extremely hungry and 10 is “Thanksgiving full,” if you push away from the table at a 6 you will give your brain a chance to get your stomach’s fullness signal and be plenty satisfied without overeating.

Eat Mindfully
So often we rush through meals, barely chewing or tasting our food, or we nibble mindlessly throughout the day eating a lot but never feeling satisfied. Instead, sit down, slow down and really savor. Enjoy the visual appeal and aroma of your food. Take a moment to be thankful for it. You will wind up enjoying your food more, but eating less.

For help making long term change, I highly recommend making an appointment with a registered dietitian. You can find one in your area at www.eatright.org. Also, my on-line, personalized plan www.healthylivingwithellie.com is a non-diet approach with helpful tools that can help you stay on track. If you want to really treat yourself, one of my favorite resorts, Mohonk Mountain House, has a wonderful workshop called Never Diet Again: Welcoming Weight Loss and Wellness, where you can practice mindfulness for weight control and wellness in one of the most beautiful mountain settings in the world. The special program is held in April, July and November.