If you are just seeing this post make sure you go back and read – Part 1 and Part 2.
Setting up your life to ensure you are going to have diet success can be a hard, as most do not know where to start. We all stray every now and again on our nutrition and training, and getting back on track needs structure. These strategies are basically your start point. They are here to give you ‘rules of successful dieting’ and set yourself up for success. You do not have to implement them all at once, however, all of them should be considered. Those who are successful at weight loss and maintain it, most use these tactics if not all these strategies, in order to keep the weight off or lose a few pounds when we stray a bit too far off track from our diet.
Back to the strategies.
- Minimize your variety – Eat the same or similar foods everyday. Some individuals think they need a lot of variety in their diet, however, they are being unrealistic, and out of touch with what they currently eat. If you looked at what you ate on a weekly basis you would see you eat generally the same things all the time. (assuming that you are actually eating and at regular intervals). In terms of food preparation, and time, eating the same thing on a weekly basis helps keep you on track. Too many choices opens up the palette to more flavors, and tastes leaving you wanting more. Make your meal plan very basic, and focus on sticking to it rather, trying to make gourmet meals everyday. I do not know of any friends who cook large gourmet meals every night of the week. Food should fuel you for the day, and not be the last meal you are ever going to eat.
- Fail to plan; plan to fail – Set your meal plan up for the week, and prepare in advance what you are going to eat. There will be moments in which you are hungry, and won’t want to make the time to cook, and you will be more likely to make a poor choice. Set yourself up for success by planning you meals, having them ready. You are less likely to make a poor choice in the heat of the moment.
- Increase your vegetable & fruit intake Half (1/2) to two-thirds (2/3) of your plate should be covered with vegetables and/or fruit. It is hard to overdose on vegetables or fruit.
- Get Distracted It is amazing how much free time you get once you take food preparation out of the picture. Get a hobby, do housework, or homework. I am sure there are plenty of other things you can be doing with your left over time. If you are stuck – see here.
- Get moving – Adding something small like a 20 minute walk during the day –>everydayYou will need to up your energy expenditure somehow. Walking is the easiest way to get started and definitely the most under valued form of exercise. There are other ways to ‘get moving’ such as more traditional forms of movement like joining a gym, hiring a trainer, joining a class, but it is not essential. What is essential is moving more – and walking is a great place to start.
- Reward Yourself Reward your self on a weekly basis with a non food item. Shopping, beauty days, sporting events, movies, etc, something that you enjoy, and will look forward to.
- Watch less TV This is a huge one for me. The more I find I watch TV the more I want to eat. The more I watch TV, the less I move. You will move more, (as you are not sitting), and you will get those things done that you might have put off otherwise. I do have another post on how to get moving and stay distracted while dieting.Dieting does not have to a struggle day in and day out where your willpower is taxed, and you give up. I like to think of successful dieting as eating real food all the time, with some treats every now and again. Dieting is not deprivation, but consistency. YOu have to keep doing it to be successful.Every day is one more step toward the goal or away.One more to go,A.
