30 Diet Tips
30 Diet Tips- Tips 11-20
11. Make plans
Plan to succeed and you will. Make plans to achieve weight loss, for example, have the right food in to prepare healthy nutritious meals. Do not be tempted to buy foods that you are trying to avoid as it makes it easier to give in when you feel ready to succumb to temptation.
Plan your meals for a week in advance and build your shopping list around your proposed menu so that you purchase all the correct ingredients.
Make additional portions of healthy meals that can be frozen or stored in the fridge and eaten as snacks over the next few days. For example making nutritious soup that can be eaten over a few days as a great filling snack.
12. Don’t fall into the trap of ‘all or nothing’
All or nothing diets are rarely work. They may achieve weight loss for a short period of time but are doomed to failure in the long term.
If you do fall off the slimming wagon get back on as soon as possible. If you make a slip do not use it as an excuse to avoid your diet for the rest of the day. Just acknowledge that you have slipped and then carry on and forget about it.
Remember that lapses are all part of changing for the better. Do not pressurize yourself to feel you have to be 100% on target all of the time. A success rate of 80% is very good! It is not the diet slip that is a problem but your reaction to it. Don’t let yourself feel that you have failed. Acknowledge the mistake, forgive yourself and get on track as soon as possible.
13. Still have your favourite foods
You do not need to avoid all your favourite foods for ever more even though these may be unhealthy. Part of a successful diet plan is to include some favourite unhealthy foods from time to time.
The key is to not over eat these or eat them on a regular basis.
14. Treat yourself
We mentioned the importance of goals. It is important when you have achieved a goal to reward yourself with something enjoyable. For example if you stick to your diet for a week or lose a set amount of weight, treat yourself. This encourages you to achieve more in future.
Ensure you treat yourself with something other than food however (unless this is one of your one off favourite food treats-see above) as this may be counteract your goals. Choose other things you like to indulge in. It could be buying a new outfit, having your nails done or taking a hot bath.
Finally as regards treats it is better to avoid using food to treat yourself in any event as this can lead to bad habits. Learn to avoid using food as a reward.
15. Get support
Dieting in groups has proven successful due to the support factor. If you are dieting alone you can still get support from partners, friends or colleagues. Online diet programmes are a good way to take advantage of moral support from other dieters it was remaining anonymous.
Support is an important factor if you feel low in ventilation has in mind you that there are other dieters who may at some time about the way you did for have got through it and achieve fees to weight loss success. In addition chatting to like minded people takes your mind off, for example, food cravings and helps you keep on track.
16. Eat balanced meals
Aim to make your meals healthy and nutritious. Go for a balanced diet rather than fad diets or cutting at one particular food group. The best way to feel full is to use healthy food to bulk up your diet such as fruit and vegetables. There are plenty of exciting and tasty recipes you can make just with vegetables and salad. All you need is a bit of imagination and some good recipes.
Be creative and use recipes as a basis for your own ideas and adapt these to your own tastes. This is the best way to get the most out of a balanced diet.
17. Concentrate on your meals
You perhaps have heard that when eating you should not be partaking of any other activity. This includes even watching television. Concentrating on what you eat focuses you on your food and makes you feel fuller quicker. It also means that you cannot do anything else at the same time so feel less inclined to stretch out your meals and thus the amount of food that you consume.
18. Avoid fad diets
The appeal of fad diets lies in potential quick weight loss. Although this may be successful in the short term in the long term it creates nothing but bad dieting habits. Any weight loss with fad diets is ultimately regained over a short period of time.
In addition fad diets encourage a feeling of failure. It is demoralizing to see weight loss regained a short time later.
Fad diets also mess up your body metabolism meaning that when you do revert to eating normally your body is much more likely to put on weight even when you are eating the same amount of calories as before.
19. Get active
There is no avoiding it, being active is a great way to burn calories and tone up. Toning builds muscle which in turn burns more calories. Exercise also helps you to feel better about yourself and more confident and therefore less likely to turn to comfort food.
You need not go the whole way and join a gym and exercise religiously every day. Simply incorporate some simple strategies is into your everyday life. This could be activities you enjoy such as gardening, walking or dancing.
20. Walk more
Did you know that walking for approximately 40 minutes each day burns around 300 calories a day. This adds up to around 2000 calories a week. 2000 calories a week is a recommended daily calorie intake for women. You can see how this small change to your lifestyle can cut down your calorie intake drastically!
You could buy a pedometer to keep track of how far you do actually walk in all this adds into your daily quota. Don’t forget to include walking around the house on household chores as well!
Take a peek at some popular pedometers
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