How to Stick With a Diet Plan

When you are at the point that you are motivated and willing to work hard to lose weight, sticking to a diet plan can be your key to successful weight loss and a healthier you. That's not to say it's easy though – sticking to a diet will test your willpower often. So give yourself the best shot you can at losing weight by sticking to your diet plan with these tips:

Step 1: Know Your Motivation Motto

What's your main reason for wanting to shed the pounds? Is it to be healthier for your kids? To fit into a smaller dress size? To look better in the mirror? Think up your most powerful motivator and turn it into a motivation motto you can tell yourself whenever you are faced with a hard food decision. It'll be easier to resist that doughnut when you think about your greater desire to fit into that size X dress you've been thinking about as your reward.

Step 2: Get Someone to Hold You Accountable

Your motivation will falter and that's why you need someone to keep you on track when you slip off your diet. Have a friend or family member who you talk to daily keep you accountable for your diet. If you know someone will be watching you, it'll make it easier to slip over those diet hurdles.

Step 3: Don't Go to the Extreme

If you wouldn't normally drink a green smoothie every morning, what makes you think you're going to do it as part of your diet? Think about yourself – your eating habits, what you like, what you don't like, etc. Create a diet that is about eating healthy in a way that works for you. Shape your diet to fit you and you'll be tons more successful keeping to it. You don't have to give up dessert if you don't want to - there are ways to make healthy desserts that won't mess up your diet plan.

Step 4: Eat Healthier, But Allow a Daily Indulgence

Diets don't have to go to the extremes as mentioned above, but you do want to eat healthier. That means more fruits and veggies, whole grains, and healthy proteins. You also should allow yourself a daily indulgence in moderation. By giving yourself these small indulgences daily, you'll feel less like you're starving yourself and more like a normal person who is simply eating healthier.

Step 5: Keep It Simple

Diets are best kept to simple rules. The more complicated a diet is, the less likely you'll keep it going long term.

Step 6: Think About What You're Putting in Your Mouth – All the Time

Be more conscious of what you're eating – give yourself a correct portion size. Sit down for a meal. Chew slowly. Allow yourself time to get full as you eat so you don't feel like you have to eat a ton. Also, the more you focus on what you are putting in your mouth, you'll have a better idea of how much you're actually eating in a day.

Step 7: Resist Temptations

Don't keep snacks in the house that you will be tempted with. Avoid contact with diet-breaking foods as much as possible. People may try to tempt you with junk food or unhealthy food, saying that “it's just this once.”

Step 8: Just Stick With It!

Keep repeating your motivation motto to yourself and come up with a great excuse to use to resist temptation foods people offer you. You can always say “I'm not a big fan of XYZ” or “You know, I just ate dinner/lunch/breakfast, but thanks.” A white lie that helps you stick to your dieting plan is really okay.

With these tips you can approach your diet plan with confidence, knowing that you'll be able to stick with it this time!