Are you starting a diet? Starting a diet to lose weight and improve health is a worthy goal, but it can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming at first. Just like starting anything new, diets can be challenging, as you are bound to stumble upon challenges, especially when it involves something you do more than once a day – like eating and drinking.
Before starting your diet, you should take the time to set up an organized program that will give you the results you deserve. If you want to become successful; here are some tips to consider when starting your diet plan –
- Consult with your doctor. Talk to your doctor before you begin a new plan. They can certainly help you customize a program and safely monitor your progress. Make an appointment with your doctor and ask important weight loss questions while you’re there.It’s important to take notes and add the information to your diet journal. Your doctor also may be able to get a referral to a registered dietitian, a diabetes educator, or a physical therapist. Each of these professionals can work together with you to help you reach your weight loss goals.
- Keep a food diary. When you start your diet, it’s essential you are keeping track of how much and what you’re eating and drinking. It’s a good way to know your food habits before you diet – and while you are dieting you can keep a log of how many calories you eat every day. And it’s a good habit. A diet journal helps many dieters stay on target when challenges arise.
- Set goals. We all know your ultimate goal is to lose weight – we get that. But it’s very necessary to set more specific short term and long term goals throughout your whole dieting process. Think weekly or monthly goals. Setting these goals will allow you to build the confidence you need to make it through the tough times when you are dieting. It’s also important when you set these goals to make them realistic.
- Reward yourself, never punish. When you reach your short term and long term goals, reward yourself. It makes the process more motivating throughout the process. On the other hand, don’t be too hard on yourself when you don’t achieve an expectation or goal. One week you might be losing a few pounds but the other week, nothing, and that’s okay. It happens to us all, but that doesn’t mean you should be upset with yourself. Use this fall to learn where you are vulnerable, and decide how you will handle the situation the next time without giving up on your diet.
- Take baby steps. It’s okay to take it slow in order to get to where you want. Change is hard, but making small, gradual changes will help you go a long way. Even if you take your time and make one change each week to give you time to get used to the new behavior. Ultimately, your goal is to establish regular healthy eating habits that can be sustained for a lifetime.
- Find a workout buddy. Eating healthy can most definitely help cut calories but getting regular physical activity is the other portion that will also burn those calories and improve your overall health. Remember, when you sweat together, you stay together.Working out alone can be hard, but when you have someone that is striving for the same goal as you, it can help you both stay motivated. Support is an essential part a successful weight loss program. Find a friend or family member to join you in your workouts – these people can be a good source of inspiration, support, and encouragement on a regular basis.
- Prepare for your diet. When starting a diet, it’s necessary to have all the ingredients you need for this specific diet plan. Otherwise, if you don’t you might easily abandon your plan before it even started. Make sure you get rid of foods, especially sweets, in your kitchen that you know will tempt you.
- Always plan ahead. When you’re on a diet, it’s best if you have the foods prepared and readily available – this allows you to easily access them when you’re hungry and need a snack. Also, before heading out to an event or party where you know there will be food or drinks there, make sure you eat before attending or even bring small healthy handful of snacks with you so you are not tempted when you get there.
Weight loss can be one big obstacle, and if you don’t consider these tips prior, you can easily gain it all back – which we clearly don’t want happening. There are other factors to consider when starting a diet in order to help you determine if it is really effective and most importantly, safe. Before starting, ask yourself these questions:
- Does it provide enough calories? The average daily requirement is 2,500 kcals for men and 2,000 kcals for women, but when dieting, you reduce your energy intake in order to burn off more than you consume. The best way is to identify where you can cut excess or empty calories – for instance, by eating smaller portions or by skipping snacks when you are not hungry. Making the decision to swap out sugar-sweetened or alcoholic drinks for low-calorie options is another way to cut back.
- Is its sustainable? Is this plan a short term diet or a long-term, forever diet? What happens when the diet is over? It’s easy to fall back to the same eating habits if the diet is not something that cannot fit into your lifestyle permanently. Find a plan that works and can be sustained as a regular diet lifestyle. If you are often traveling for work, try to plan in advance your food choices.
- Is it balanced? There are so many diets that suggest you cut out or severely restrict certain food groups such as carbohydrates; these are ones that are likely unbalanced and difficult to maintain. Any diet that promotes eating mainly one type of food may also put you at risk of nutritional deficiencies.
- Is it safe? Diets don’t work the same for you as it would with friends and family – consult with your doctor before starting a weight loss plan.
Author : Usman Raza is a freelance writer, marketing specialist at Zensleep and co-founder of UsmanDigitalMedia. When not working, he’s probably spending time with his family. Follow him on Facebook @usmanraza40 and Twitter @usmanintrotech.
