Let’s be honest: starting a diet is hard. Not because we don’t know what’s healthy and what’s not, but because changing habits is uncomfortable. Saying “I’ll start on Monday” is easy. Actually starting is where things get difficult.
I’m Dominican, and where I come from, food is a big part of daily life. Rice at lunch, rice at dinner, flour, fried foods, fast food — these habits are very common. But this isn’t just a Dominican thing. Every country has its own food traditions that make change hard.
Most of the time, the real problem isn’t food. It’s discipline. A diet doesn’t start on your plate, it starts in your mind. It starts when you accept that eating the same way every single day may not be helping you anymore.
Discipline isn’t punishment. It’s choosing today what will help you feel better tomorrow.
Eating better does mean making sacrifices. Less fried food. Less junk food. Less sugar. No one should pretend this part is easy.
But here’s something important: you don’t have to change everything at once. In fact, trying to change everything at the same time is one of the main reasons people give up.
Let’s look at a very real and simple example.
If you eat rice twice a day, lunch and dinner, and you do that seven days a week, that means you are eating rice 14 times a week.
Now here’s the key idea. If instead of eating rice twice a day, you eat it only once a day, you are no longer eating rice 14 times a week.
You are now eating rice 7 times a week.
You didn’t remove rice. You didn’t ban it. You didn’t quit your culture. You simply reduced it by half. And that alone is already a very strong start.
This same logic applies to many foods. If you usually eat fried snacks, empanadas, or fast food very often, you don’t have to eliminate them overnight. You can start by replacing some of those meals with simpler options.
Eggs are a great example. They are easy to prepare, affordable, and filling. Light dinners with vegetables, eggs with broccoli, tomato with cheese, or grilled chicken with vegetables are much lighter choices for the evening.
Small changes like these may not look impressive, but they add up. Your body notices them. You feel less heavy. You sleep better. You have more energy.
That’s when you realize something important: yes, starting a diet is hard — but it’s worth it.
Starting a diet doesn’t mean giving up your culture or the foods you grew up with. It means learning balance and making better choices more often.
You don’t need perfection. You just need to start. If it’s possible to start eating better even with habits like eating rice every day, then it’s possible.
Slow progress is still progress. And starting small is always better than not starting at all.
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