{"id":1742,"date":"2018-03-09T00:25:27","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T00:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/?p=1742"},"modified":"2018-03-09T00:25:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-09T00:25:27","slug":"11-tricks-for-sticking-with-your-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/11-tricks-for-sticking-with-your-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Tricks for Sticking With Your Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"03081805\"<\/a>How many times have you pledged to go on a diet? \u201cI\u2019ve got to do something<\/em>!\u201d It might surprise you to know you\u2019re not the only one uttering those words \u2013 personal trainers, doctors, and health club personnel hear them multiple times a day. Unfortunately, starting a diet and sticking with a diet are two different things. That\u2019s because there are so many issues that can derail your resolve and kick you off the course to a slimmer physique.<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t a sure-fire, magical way to ensure you\u2019ll stick to your diet long enough to reach your goal. What works for one person might not work for someone else. However, you can take advantage of others\u2019 experiences. You can try any or all of these 11 tricks for sticking with your diet. Keep the ones that work best for you and use them to build a personalized diet regimen that you\u2019ll not only stick with but will deliver the results you want.<\/p>\n

1. Change your attitude toward food.<\/strong> When it comes to diets, most of the battle is in your head. Psychology Today<\/a> advises changing your mindset about eating and dieting before you even start. Don\u2019t stop at accepting that you can either be thinner OR you can eat whatever you want anytime you want to. Also recognize that food is fuel, not a delicious, comforting solution when you\u2019re feeling lonely, bored, or stressed.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u2019t go on a \u201cdiet.\u201d<\/strong> Instead, develop an \u201ceating plan.\u201d The difference is mostly in the mental perception you have. There\u2019s a reason they say, \u201cDIET is a four-letter word.\u201d Everyone loathes what the word \u201cdiet\u201d represents, but an eating plan has a positive connotation and isn\u2019t as overwhelming.<\/p>\n

\"03081807\"<\/a>While you\u2019re at it, don\u2019t hop on board with the latest diet fad just because everyone and\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 their unfortunate dogs are doing it. The better option is to start by making healthier choices and allowing yourself to eat from all of the four food groups instead of cutting out all fat, all sugar, all wheat products, or all red meat. Unless you have a health concern that requires you avoid certain foods, you really do need to eat everything, but in moderation.<\/p>\n

\"03081803\"<\/a>3. List your reasons for going on a diet.<\/strong> Actually write them down and then read over them every morning, every evening, and every time you are tempted to chuck the whole plan and go back to eating everything you get a craving for. Whether you\u2019re dieting for health reasons or to lose weight\u2014or both\u2014it helps to be reminded of why you\u2019re doing it.<\/p>\n

\"03081802\"<\/a>4. Set realistic goals.<\/strong> Healthline<\/a> points out that setting the bar too high when embarking on a diet\u2014losing 15 pounds in two weeks, for example\u2014will sabotage your plans, guaranteed. It\u2019s another mind trick, of sorts. A study published by Obesity Research<\/a> showed that subjects who expected to drop a lot of weight fast tended to give up on a diet more easily and earlier than those who set realistic goals.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s reasonable? LIVESTRONG<\/a> says that, because everyone\u2019s bodies and metabolisms are different, it can vary from \u00bd to 2 pounds a week. If you stay conservative and expect the lower end of the scale, then any weight loss more than that is a bonus. Also, divide up your overall goal into short-term, mini goals. You\u2019ll reach them faster, and the satisfaction and excitement of that will bolster your confidence and build momentum to stick with your diet for the long haul.<\/p>\n

5. Get rid of temptations.<\/strong> Clearing out all of the junk food and other items that aren\u2019t on your diet is one of the best ways to ensure you won\u2019t cheat. If those three pints of Ben and Jerry\u2019s aren\u2019t calling to you from the freezer, you won\u2019t be likely to go on a midnight binge.<\/p>\n

\"03081808\"<\/a>6. Buy a cookbook.<\/strong> Or search the Internet for new, healthier recipes and build your own cookbook. According to MSN<\/a>, having a variety of healthy meal options on hand not only adds an element of fun to a diet, but it also keeps you from getting bored from eating the same, bland foods. Look for healthier versions of things you love to eat, snacks and meals like Rosie Dailey<\/a> developed for Oprah, or keep an eye out for recipes that use herbs and spices to make them flavorful and satisfying.<\/p>\n

7. Eat more often<\/a>.<\/strong> No, that\u2019s not a typo. It\u2019s good diet advice. Spread your allotted calories out over the day instead of stuffing yourself full of them in three meals. If you\u2019re eating five or six times a day, you won\u2019t feel deprived. It will seem like you\u2019re always eating instead of never eating, and it won\u2019t even feel like you\u2019re on a diet.<\/p>\n

\"03081806\"<\/a><\/strong>8. Recruit a diet buddy.<\/strong> Going on a diet with your spouse or a friend can help make it easier to stick with it. You can support each other when things get tough, and you\u2019ll both have someone to be accountable to, as well. Weigh in together, plan meals together, and be sure to check in with each other at least once a day to report on your progress.<\/p>\n

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9. Consult a professional.<\/strong> A dietician, your family doctor, a counselor at your health club\u2014any one of those fits the description and will be able to help you come up with a healthy, doable eating plan. Don\u2019t stop with just one visit, either. Check in every few months to report your progress and get help tweaking the plan to make sure it keeps working for you.<\/p>\n

10. Incorporate exercise with changing your eating habits.<\/strong> Supplementing a diet with exercise is an ultra-effective way to kickstart weight loss. Plus, studies<\/a> have shown that when people start working out in conjunction with a change in eating habits, they\u2019re more likely to stick with both than people who start one or the other.<\/p>\n

11. Go easy on yourself. <\/strong>Recognize that it took you a long time to put the weight on and that it will take some time to get it off. Celebrate the little victories and don\u2019t beat yourself up over the small slip-ups and plateaus. Every morning offers a new opportunity to do things differently, so take advantage of that.<\/p>\n

\"03081801\"<\/a>P.S.<\/strong> Celebrating the little victories can and probably should take the form of a cheat day<\/a>, or at least a cheat meal. It gives you something to look forward to and you won\u2019t feel so deprived. Plus, a frozen yogurt or other treat will taste that much sweeter when it\u2019s a reward for sticking to your diet and reaching a goal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How many times have you pledged to go on a diet? \u201cI\u2019ve got to do something!\u201d It might surprise you to know you\u2019re not the only one uttering those words \u2013 personal trainers, doctors, and health club personnel hear them multiple times a day. Unfortunately, starting a diet and sticking with a diet are two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1750,"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1742\/revisions\/1750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.targitfit.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}