8 Things you Should do to Remain Faithful to your Diet

If you are anything like me, you probably have a few pounds to lose. A few pounds may not seem to be that serious, but when it is allowed to fester, it can easily get out of control. My weight was way out of control at one time. Take a look at me here. Thankfully I am well on the way to restoring my weight to within normal limits. If you are as out of control as I was once, it will be more challenging to stick to a diet plan. But of course, it can be done. All you will need is a little forward thinking and a plan of action. By forward thinking I mean that you should consider yourself in a slim and healthy body. Hopefully if you are thinking this way, you will mimic what a slim and healthy person does. How do they eat and how active are they? If you mimic them you should see a big boost in your weight loss efforts. A plan of action is needed so you wouldn’t be caught flat footed. With a plan of action in hand, you will be better equipped to fight off the distractions that are certain to come your way. So I will share with you a few small tips that should help you with your success.

1) Cut down on sweets and high fats. Make a conscious effort to cut back on sweets and high fat foods. Sweets and high fat foods are high in calories and will do just the opposite of what you want for yourself. The best way to cut back is to write a daily food plan and stick with it. It would be nice if your daily food plan included whole grains and high fiber foods, but it is not necessary if you simply want to lose weight. However, if you want to make a habit of eating more nutritious meals, then you should consume more whole grains and high fiber foods daily.

2) Eat 5 meals a day. I admit, this may not be for everyone because of the temptation to overeat. Eating 5 meals daily may be a good thing for you to do, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. This should help you control your hunger and cravings. The important thing to remember is to control your portion sizes. Some experts say that consuming six meals a day amounts to grazing and it will not help you to learn how to eat three healthy meals per day like most normal folks do, and be satisfied. If you were to do this, you will need to take more time to plan your meals and will need to eat them on time. The ideal times to eat would be: Breakfast, lunch, mid afternoon meal, dinner, and a late evening meal. Your caloric intake should be the same as it would be if you were to eat three meals per day. Perhaps you were only consuming 1500 calories per day with the three meals and a snack; but with five meals per day you should stick to the same amount of calories. To benefit from the best nutrition, you should include high fiber foods (veggies or fruits) in every meal. An example of a mini meal would be: An apple, a 6 oz cup of yogurt, and an 8 oz glass of juice.

3) Use diversions The use of diversions to help you through the day is an excellent way to make your dieting easier. Include an activity in your day that you enjoy doing. The idea is to keep your mind clear of food and cravings, at least until the next meal. If you are working outside of your home, this should be easy enough to do. There is usually plenty to do at work to keep you busy. However, it is when you are away from work is when you may have problems in a moment of weakness. You can avoid these moments by diverting your attention to other things. Improve your mind; take a self-help course or read a self-help book. Visit the gym, take a swim in the pool, go for a walk, or work on a hobby you enjoy. These simple diversions are good for improving your mind and your body.

4) Learn how to say no. There are times when your friends or family will offer to share food with you. You can handle this best if you have excuses pre- planned for just such occasions. If you simply say “I can’t eat that because I am on a diet”, they may become more insistent that you eat some. After all, just this one time won’t hurt anything right? Not so. Any food you eat outside of your food plan could very easily be self destructive. Therefore it is very wise for you not to get trapped into eating something which you hadn’t planned on.

5) Be consistent. History tells us that people are more likely to be successful when they are consistent. This will make all the difference. When dieting, you are certain to see success when you stand firm with your daily food plan. Do all the good things you started out doing with no exception. An example would be; if you’ve limited your red meat consumption to only twice a week, stick with that. And try to eat all meals on time. This will help prevent increased hunger and over eating.

6) Prepare your own meals. When you prepare your own meals, you can be certain that it is exactly what you want.You will be in control of the ingredients. Hence, the amount of sugar, fat, and sodium will all be in your control. Another good thing to do is to make your meals simple and easy to prepare. Don’t spend a lot of time fixing elaborate meals. It takes too long to prepare and it might not be in the best interest for your diet. Also you should consider limiting your selection of red meat to only once or twice a week. And if you choose to eat red meat, be sure to eat only the lean cuts. Red meats and fried foods are high in saturated fats. Saturated fats can cause a high cholesterol level which can create a heart attack. You should always include whole grains and high fiber foods in order to get the best nutritional value.

7) Drink water. Health professionals recommend that you drink eight 8 oz glasses of water per day. This will assure that your body will maintain good hydration. In addition to water being crucial for maintaining good hydration, water will help to give your stomach a feeling of fullness. The fullness feeling should help prevent the desire to compulsively eat. In addition to water, you can drink your usual coffee, green tea, or unsweetened fruit juice. It is also recommended that you drink only fluids with no added sugar and decaffeinated coffee.

8) Use a low amount of sodium. A diet low in sodium is better for you because it will not retain fluids as readily. You should read the labels on the food packages, and use less canned and frozen foods. Your total sodium intake should not contain more than 2,000mg per day, or equal to more than one teaspoon of sodium per day. Choose the fresh fruits and veggies instead. Also it is better not to use processed foods because of the high sodium content. Sodium retains fluids and causes you to get a higher reading of your weight when you get on the scale. You may have lost some fat, but the scale may not show it. You may be retaining twice as much weight in fluids. A low sodium diet is also good for the blood pressure. While the sodium increases the body’s fluids, it raises the blood pressure and puts more stress on the heart. So a low sodium diet is helpful in preventing fluid retention, high blood pressure, and heart disease.