Beginning your diet can be a daunting task, the thought of nibbling on lettuce leafs and listening to your stomach rumble can be off putting, however the benefits to losing weight are enormous.
Not only will you look better and be more self-confident but you also reduce the risk of developing problems with your health. Listed below are some tips to help get you started on your diet, stick to it and keep the weight off in the future.
Setting goals
It helps to set goals by keeping a written account, not only will you have something to focus on for the future but you will also have something to look back on and give you encouragement during periods of doubt.
Setting effective goals that are attainable are a must; it is no good setting a goal which you cannot reasonably achieve. Setting goals which are not reasonably achievable within a specified amount of time isn’t the right way to go, being specific about your achievements and focusing on the outcome and benefits is the right way to go.
Reward yourself
When you reach goals that you set for yourself then give yourself a treat or reward, of course, these should be something you enjoy but don’t go overboard with the cakes and sweets. Other ways you can reward yourself is a relaxing day at a spa, treating yourself to a trip to the movies or buying that CD you have been wanting for a long time.
Monitor your eating behaviour
Keep a record of your eating habits and behaviour, observe and record aspects such as how many portions of fruit and vegetables you eat per day, how long you exercised for per day, what type of exercise you did per day or how long you exercised for.
By recording what you did and when, you can see which days were more effective than others and this can show you the changes you might need to make to achieve goals you have set out.
Make changes to your daily routines
By avoiding situations in which you would normally be in can help you stick to your diet, for example if your would normally pig out when watching TV in the evening go for a walk instead of sitting down to watch your favourite soap, you can always record programmes and watch them while pedalling an exercise bike.
Instead of keeping the cookie jar next to the coffee pot then change this for a bowl of healthy fruit, this way you will be less likely to be tempted to nibbling a cookie with your coffee.
Don’t automatically go for seconds
When having your main meal don’t automatically go for seconds, give your body and mind time to tell you you are full, the brain can take up to 15 minutes before it realises and gives signals that you have been fed so don’t go rushing for more the minute you clear your plate.
Eating slowly is also a good habit to get into and eating lots of fruit and vegetables can make you feel fuller, another good trick is to use smaller plates so the portions don’t appear smaller.
