Ideas on how to stick to your diet, stay motivated, lose weight, and achieve your weight loss goals, as well as achieve a sustainable, healthy, lifestyle.
So you have taken the first step to being a healthier person; you’ve started a diet. You’ve started eating more healthily – meaning more vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains. You are ditching the mid-morning donut and latte for low-fat yogurt and antioxidant rich black tea. Good for you!
You also are probably establishing some kind of regular exercise routine. Yet, with all your good intentions, you find yourself slipping back so your old habits. A cookie here, a hand full of chips there, are ruining your waistline and your weight loss goals. You find yourself disillusioned with your diet. Have no fear. Below are some useful tips for sticking to your diet and achieving your weight loss goals.
Table of Contents
Find a Support System to Stay on Your Diet
Finding a support system is a great way to stay on your diet and achieve your weight loss goals. Whether a friend or your mother, finding someone to support you on your diet is an important way to keep yourself motivated. Join an online community of fellow dieters. Find a walking buddy. Know that you are not alone and that others want you to succeed at being healthy.
Make Goals and Reflect through Journaling to Shed Extra Pounds
Knowing your goals and motivations for being on a diet is a great way to stay on track. What made you want to lose weight and be healthier in the first place? What do you have to gain by having a healthier lifestyle? Being fit for your granddaughter, or less noble reasons such as looking better in jeans, are all legitimate reasons for losing weight. Keep a list of your goals and motivators to remind yourself why you started a lifestyle change to begin with. Look at this list when you need a boost and a reminder to stay on track.
You might consider starting a journal. Journaling allows you to analyze your experiences and maybe divulge other underlying issues you might have about food or reasons behind unhealthy habits. Knowing your motivators for unhealthy choices can help you to understand and combat stressors or triggers that carry you away from your weight loss goals.
Keep It Fresh and Exciting to Stay on Your Diet and Lose Weight
Keep your healthy lifestyle changes fresh and exciting. Don’t get into a rut. You can only eat so many egg white omelets for breakfast for so long without wanting to never see another egg white again (for ideas on delicious, healthy, and quick breakfasts, read Easy, Fast, and Healthy Breakfasts.) A lifestyle change can be fun and exciting! There are a plethora of healthy and delicious recipes just waiting for you to try (for starters you can read the article on Healthy and Delicious Toppings for Pizza.) Look up some new recipes. Try a new exercise class or check out a book on yoga. Do something that keeps your new lifestyle sustainable and fun.
Forgive Yourself and Keep Going After a Splurge
If you splurge from your diet with a slice of cheesecake, forget about it. That’s right. Don’t guilt trip yourself or punish yourself for your indulgence. Remember, losing weight isn’t only about reaching a number on a scale. Your new lifestyle change is about being healthy and taking care of yourself. A lifestyle change is something you will be doing your entire life, not just to achieve a short term goal. No one expects you to go your whole life without cheesecake. So every once and awhile, splurge, enjoy your cheesecake, but then go back to your healthy routine and lifestyle.
Be Positive for Maximum Weight Loss and Dieting Sucess
Be motivated and positive about your new, exciting decision to take care of yourself and be healthy. Remember, a lifestyle change isn’t easy. In fact, it’s incredibly difficult. But the rewards of being active and healthy far outweigh the disadvantages. So be positive, and look forward to a healthier life.
For some useful tips on how to save money on exercising, see How to Exercise for Less Money.
