Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Stay Motivated
• Method 2 of 3: Avoid Temptation
• Method 3 of 3: Don't Punish Yourself
• Tips
• Warnings

Thinking about a weight loss plan is a tricky task, but it is even more difficult to follow your plan. You may have been trying to lose weight for a while, but you have a hard time sticking to a plan and staying motivated. If you are determined to lose weight, you should decide what will motivate you, as well as avoid temptations and rigid restrictions. In this article, you will learn how to stick to your chosen nutritional system.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Stay Motivated

1. 1 Have a plan and start sticking to it. It is important to think about your goals and not deviate from them throughout the diet. The goal should be specific, and you should have a plan to achieve this goal, since the desire to lose weight alone is not enough. You should do the following:
   • Decide how many pounds you want to lose weight and for how long. The goals must be achievable. Losing weight by 25 kilograms in a month is impossible, but by 2.5 - you can, if you stick to the plan. The end date could be an event: your wedding, a seaside vacation, the start of a new school year.
   • Write down your original data. What are the parameters of your body now? Measure the circumference of your waist, hips and each leg at the hip so you can track your changes.
   • Have a plan for each week. How many grams do you want to lose weight each week? Select a day for weighing. You shouldn't weigh yourself every day, as this can get you obsessed with your weight.
   • Think over a training plan. It is impossible to plan your workouts several months in advance, so try to do this at the beginning of each week.
   • Record what you eat, how much exercise you do, and how many pounds you shed each week. Recordings will help you keep track of changes, but try not to dwell on every food you eat.
   • You can also write down your thoughts about losing weight and analyze which techniques worked and which didn't. This will put you in control of the situation.
2. 2 Do not give up. If you feel yourself deviating from your plan, remind yourself why you started losing weight. Do you want to look good in a swimsuit or is the excess weight starting to take its toll on your health? Maybe you want to lose those 10 kilograms that you have gained over the past few years? Whatever the reason, remind yourself that you intend to go all the way. Here are some tips to help you:
   • Keep in mind the image of your new self. You can submit a photo "before" and "after".If you have a photo of yourself at your desired weight, attach this photo to the refrigerator and use it as a motivation tool. If you are too lazy to go to workout or want to buy a can of ice cream, remind yourself of this photo.
   • Place motivating quotes on your computer desktop or around your desk. This will help you remember what you are losing weight for.
   • If you want to return to your previous weight, put a photo from that period on the table.
   • Keep a leaflet listing the reasons for losing weight in your wallet. You can reread these reasons when you forget why you are losing weight.
3. 3 Reward yourself for doing the right thing. Dieting is very difficult, and you need to remind yourself from time to time that you are doing well. Rewarding yourself for success will make it easier to stay motivated and keep losing weight. Try this:
   • Reward yourself for every 3–5 kilos you lose. Consider a reward system based on the number of pounds you need to lose. The reward can be a massage, a pedicure, pants one size smaller than usual, going to the cinema.
   • If you've been eating well all week, indulge yourself in something unhealthy on the weekend. It is impossible to eat only healthy food all the time.
   • Remind yourself that you are great after every kilogram you lose. Rewards shouldn't be about food alone. Promise yourself to buy new shoes if you can stay on your diet for a month.
4. 4 Don't diet alone. It will be easier for you to lose weight if you find yourself a partner. It will be easier for both of you because you can support each other. Do the following:
   • Find a partner. If you know that someone you know is also trying to lose weight, share advice with each other, go to the gym together and motivate each other. If you have a gym or a joint meal plan, it will be easier for you to move towards your goal.
   • Join a weight loss club. This can be done virtually or in real life. Whatever you choose, it will be easier for you to lose weight if you know that thousands of people are now doing the same.
   • Discuss your nutritional system with your doctor to make sure that this system is not contraindicated for your health.
   • If you are unable to find a partner, tell a close friend or relative about your plans. This person will help you stay motivated and will be ready to listen to you if your diet becomes difficult.

Method 2 of 3: Avoid Temptation

1. 1 Eat three meals a day. If you skip meals, you will feel tired, hungry, slow, and lose motivation. Eat oatmeal for breakfast to help you feel fuller longer and avoid snacking until lunchtime. Eat dinner as soon as you get home from school or work so you don't pounce on food late into the night.
   • Remember that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you skip breakfast, you will feel intense hunger during the day and evening and eat more than you planned.
   • Don't skip meals because you ate too much yesterday. It won't help you stick to your plan.
   • If you are very busy, try to plan all your meals in advance. Fasting can make it difficult to resist the temptation to eat the first thing that catches your eye.
2. 2 Get rid of junk food in your home. You don't have to throw away all the food you have. For starters, you should minimize the amount of junk food, because the less such food you have, the lower the likelihood that you will eat it. Evaluate the contents of the refrigerator and decide what to do with the food: throw it away, give it to relatives, take it to work and distribute it to colleagues.
   • Some of the foods are only harmful if eaten in unlimited quantities. For example, eating half a can of peanut butter is harmful, but if you eat a spoonful of this oil with celery every day, nothing bad will happen.
   • Try to make your shopping list with only healthy foods. When you go shopping, you will only choose the foods on your list, and in the end you will not bring junk food home.
   • Replace unhealthy foods with healthy ones. Ditch the ice cream and buy yogurt or popsicles. Try to keep snacks at home.
3. 3 Watch what you eat if you plan to eat away from home. Do not think that you can break your diet today, because you go to a cafe, and tomorrow you will start all over again. You will surely face temptations, but it is not necessary to completely abandon the diet. Here are some tips for when you are away from home:
   • Eat before your event. If you know there will be a lot of delicious but junk food at the party, eat at home so that you don't feel hungry. Make a healthy vegetable dish, such as a salad. Fiber will give you a feeling of fullness, and you won't want to fill your stomach with junk food.
   • Bring snacks with you. If there is no healthy food where you go (for example, in the movies), bring along a bag of almonds, grapes, or a mixture of nuts and dried fruits so that you do not have to buy high-calorie popcorn.
   • Choose the healthiest meals available. If you're dining out at a café, order grilled chicken, brown rice, or salad instead of a fatty meal. You can also eat right in cafes and restaurants.
   • Prefer healthy snacks. If the event has a wide variety of snacks, choose pita veggies and chips over brownies or nachos.
4. 4 Try to eat at home as often as possible. This is the easiest way to avoid temptation. By cooking at home, you can control what ends up on your plate. When you eat outside the home, even when choosing a healthy meal, it will be difficult for you to assess its calorie content. Below are some tips for eating at home:
   • Learn to cook well. If you love the process of cooking, you will feel more inclined to do so and will be ready to try new recipes for healthy meals.
   • Invite your friends to your home. Once you learn how to cook, you can invite friends over to your place instead of walking around cafes with them. It will be cheaper and you will be able to eat wholesome food in a more comfortable environment.
   • Try to eat lunch at home or take lunch with you to work. It's easy to choose fast food for lunch, especially if you are having a tough day, but if you have a healthy sandwich or salad with you, you are less likely to buy something unhealthy.

Method 3 of 3: Don't Punish Yourself

1. 1 Love what you eat. There is no point in starting a diet if you hate the foods you will need to eat. Try different recipes and try to change the amount of fat in your diet. If you decide to go on a diet, this does not mean that you will have to eat hateful foods. This means that you should discover new healthy foods that will help you lose those extra pounds.
   • Go to the store with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, or the market. Train yourself to buy one new fruit or vegetable a week and use those foods in your recipes.
   • Don't eat foods that you don't like. If you hate the taste of tofu or brown rice, don't force yourself to eat them.
   • Find a new way to cook your favorite meal. If you like spaghetti with cutlets, try using whole grain spaghetti and veggie cutlets. Add vegetables to the sauce as well.
2. 2 Find the type of physical activity that suits you. Sign up for dancing, tennis or swimming. If you enjoy the sport you are doing, you will not miss your workouts. If you like running, you can run down the street and enjoy the good weather. Here are some simple tips:
   • Don't force yourself to do things you don't like. If you've never enjoyed running, don't run. Try just walking 20 minutes a day.
   • Try sports you haven't tried before.Take up dancing, yoga, pilates.
   • Alternate the load. If you love running but don't want to do it three times a week, you can run one day, do yoga the next, and swim the third. By changing the types of stress, you will not be bored, and your body and mind will be active all the time.
   • Don't overload yourself. You don't need to go in for sports every day. Even 5-6 times a week can be a lot. Give yourself some rest if you are tired, because after the rest you will enjoy playing sports with great pleasure.
3. 3 Don't starve. You cannot go on a diet if you are hungry all the time. Hunger will make you ready to eat whatever food you come across and will not be able to make rational decisions. In addition, hunger will make you feel weak, tired, and depressed. To avoid feeling hungry all the time:
   • Eat every few hours. Do not take 5-6 hour breaks between meals.
   • Always bring healthy snacks with you.
   • If you know that you will be late for lunch or dinner, take a snack with you so that you do not feel severe hunger closer to eating.
   • Don't force yourself to starve. Women should eat at least 1200 calories a day, men - at least 1500. Severe food restriction will cause weakness and dizziness. In addition, hunger is dangerous to health, and it is simply impossible to stick to a low-calorie diet for a long time.
4. 4 Allow yourself junk food from time to time. It is important not only to reward yourself for success, but also to take breaks from your diet so that you don't feel trapped. Taking temporary breaks from your diet will help you stay motivated. The main thing is not to break down and not return to your old eating habits during these breaks.
   • If all your friends plan to gather where there will be only junk food, do not refuse to meet only because of diet. If you want to see your friends, pick a healthier meal, or eat whatever meal is offered to you and work it out later in the gym.
   • From time to time, allow yourself to eat what you really want. If you really crave chocolate chip cookies, it is better to eat one cookie than all the other food you have.
   • Eat unhealthy meals occasionally. Promise yourself that after five or ten correct meals, you will allow yourself to eat whatever you want. This will help you stay motivated.

Tips

• Small changes can lead to big goals. Eat from small plates to make the portions appear larger and so you don't want a supplement. Eat more slowly so that your brain has time to signal that you are already full. With these tricks, you can eat less with less effort.
• Remove junk food from visible places if you can't get rid of it. This way you can avoid the temptation to eat something harmful.
• Remember to pamper yourself from time to time. Cutting off the diet temporarily will help you stay motivated, as the diet is already stressing you.
• Find yourself a partner who will also diet or go to the gym with you. This will make it easier to follow your plan.
• Drink a glass of water before eating. Water will dull your hunger and you will eat less.
• Do not go to the store on an empty stomach, otherwise there is a chance that you will buy products that you do not need.

Warnings

• Sticking to proper nutrition is one thing, but trying to control your diet in such a way that thinking about it takes up all of your time is another. If you think you are developing an eating disorder, seek help as soon as possible.
• Diet is an effective way to lose weight, but you it is forbidden starve to achieve your goal. If the body gets less than 1200 calories for women and 1500 for men, it faces nutritional deficiencies.