We all want to look good that’s why dieting is such a huge industry. But here’s one you should really think about, it’s not really about what kind of diet you follow, it’s the discipline and dedication that spells whether you’ll succeed in your diet or not.
The secret to successful dieting is to develop habits that ensure you will follow through with what you need to do to meet your goals. Here are the tried and tested habits that, if followed, will definitely spell success for your dieting plans.
Make specific goals
‘I’m going to lose weight.’ That’s the common mantra that dieters recite. But it’s not an effective way of addressing your goals. Saying something as vague as that statement is just priming you for disappointment.
What you should need to do instead is to set a specific goal for yourself. Say ‘I want to lose 10 pounds’ and your brain engages and detects where you are right now and where you want to be in the future. You automatically set a goal that your brain will try to achieve. It will go into problem solving mode and help you gain the clarity you need to achieve your goal.
Create a ‘Can Eat’ plan
When we diet, we plan our meals to make sure that we are always on target, but a monkey wrench is always thrown into the best laid plans when, for example, we go out and are presented with foods that are not within our plan. This is a diet ruined. The effective habit here is that you should prepare a ‘what if’ plan right beside your real diet plan. The ‘what if’ plan will list the kind of foods you can eat as a substitute in case what you’re only allow to eat is not available. For example, in case someone offers desserts, remind yourself in your plan that you’ll only order coffee. If you eat out, you can write that you’ll only order a salad. Studies revealed that a dieter is much more likely succeed with a plan like this in place.
Keep track of your progress
Success in dieting will also depend on how well you track your progress. Log in every single time you exercise on a calendar. Monitor your weight by getting on the scale daily. There is also mental trick in tracking your progress. Focus on how far you have yet to go to achieve your goal and not on how far you’ve come. Do the latter and you’ll become complacent. Think like the former and you’ll push yourself even further to achieve that end goal.
Be a realist and optimist
Trying to shed off those pounds is not going to be easy. And you should learn to accept this if you want to succeed.
You should believe that you will succeed but also think that succeeding is not going to be a cake walk. By thinking that achieving success is going to require hard work, you will actually put more effort into what you’re doing – making those extra reps at the gym or taking that extra few feet when walking or running.
Train your will
The secret to success is exercising not just your muscles but also your will. It’s hard to resist giving up certain food or unhealthy lifestyle choices that’s why you should also take time to build your willpower. Build your willpower by identifying activities in your life where you’ll need to get over an impulse to improve it. For example, not getting that can of soda after a heavy meal. Finding support from forums and healthy living websites also helps.
Photo from sheknows.com
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