There are many ways to stick to a diet but waiting until you ‘want to’ may not be the way to go.
If you want to develop your desire to lose weight there are some very effective ways of doing that. It takes a little bit of work and concentration but it can be done. And done effectively.
One general way of doing this is to make that all important list.
I know you’ve seen lists before but this list comes with a twist, and an extra step. If you have ever said “I can’t stick to a diet” then going this extra inch might just pay off for you.
Here are 12 Ways to Help Stick to a Diet
1. Go get a paper and draw a line perpendicular down the middle of the page.
2. Write on the top left of the page – Why I want to be Healthy
3. Write at the top of the right side – Why I’d rather be Unhealthy
You might be thinking at this point that no one wants to be ‘unhealthy’ but dig deep – there are reasons (or excuses) that you give yourself for making it OK to continue on the path you have been on.
4. Fold the paper in the middle and tear it along the line. Throw away the right side (all the reasons you learned why you have chosen to remain in a state of overweight). By focusing on what you desire instead of focusing on what you don’t want will be one leg up on helping you in sticking to a diet.
How to Stick to Your Diet
5. Now that you have thrown away the very negative side, have a close look at what you wrote on your ‘why’ side.
6. Grab another sheet of paper and write at the top ‘Positive Reasons to Stick to a Diet and Exercise Plan’
7. Now have a look at your original list and rewrite it but – differently. Make every statement a positive statement. For example if you wrote under I want to be healthy “because I don’t want to die young” – change this to “because I want to live long and healthy.”
This may sound easy on the outset but you’ll see – it will take a little thinking.
8. Now – make the decision to follow a healthy exercise and diet plan.
9. Once you have completed your list don’t put it away. Keep it with you at all times, and you might consider having your top ten reasons laminated into a card you can carry in your pocket so you can re-affirm your decision several times a day.
How to Stick to Eating Healthy
10. Along with repeating to yourself – several times a day – your reasons for getting healthy you can also add action to your words.
It is HARD to change how you do things today into a full and complete healthy lifestyle. One of the major reasons people don’t stick with a healthy regime is because they don’t know what to do or where to start. You are welcome to a free copy of my mini ebook to get you started “Eat Healthy Lose Weight – The Ultimate 7 day Diet.
Another reason for quitting is many people believe they must do everything at once and this just stirs up anxiety and confusion.
One way to help with this is;
a) do one thing at a time and
b) apply the rule of consistency.
11. Consistency is applying a repeated pattern of behaviour. When you are asking yourself “how can I stick to my diet” along with what I’ve already suggested the next step is to pick ONE thing to change. It could be to substitute your breaded, deep-fried, chicken sandwich at the fast food joint with a non-breaded chicken breast sandwich. Then replace the fries with a baked potato.
Just pick one thing to change and then go on a winning streak with it. Be a success with this one thing and you will feel great. Do it for a week, two, three – whatever it takes until you know that one decision has now become a part of your new healthy lifestyle.
Once you are on a winning streak – then pick the next thing to change and do the same. You can tell your friends that you are streaking your way to healthy living!
How to Start a Diet and Stick to it
Follow the steps above and keep making changes. If you falter, don’t fret about it.
12. Keeping a diet journal will help a great deal. Keep track of your successes and keep track of your folly’s. Then take the time to analyze what happened and write out a plan to deal with with this interruption so if and when it happens again – you won’t be unprepared.
