Are you tired of failing at long-lasting weight loss? Maybe your expectations are unrealistic. Rather than one day you're eating unhealthy and sedentary and the next day expecting a 180 degree change, do it differently. You don't reach the top of the staircase by leaping - you take one step at a time. The same works for weight loss too. Building success one step at a time creates a blast of momentum that gets you to your weight loss goals.
It is unrealistic to expect yourself to eat a certain way and then 24 hours later eat entirely different on a diet. How has that worked for you? Has it resulted in long-lasting weight loss? Try something different. Make one small change at a time to change your life to reach your weight loss goals. Stop feeling like a failure and experience success - one small change at a time.
If you undertake too much, you can become overwhelmed and throw out your diet. Why not make small changes that allow you to experience success and build momentum. Remember, "Rome wasn't build in one day" and neither are healthy, long-lasting changes. Let's build momentum by being realistic and make small changes that last.
Here are some suggestions for little changes:
1. As you lose weight, eliminate your safety net of keeping your large size clothes. Make the commitment to yourself that you will never, ever see that size again so you don't need those clothes. Donate your clothes or sell them in a garage sale. As you get rid of your excess weight, get rid of your large clothes that you'll never need again. You get to replace the large size clothes with new, stylish clothes that celebrate your weight loss.
2. Don't eat out of bags. Put your portion on your plate rather than eat out of a bag. Mindless eating is a given when you eat out of a bag. You lose the perspective of what you've eaten when you don't provide the accountability of seeing the portion and eating accordingly.
3. No platters. Downsize your plate to downsize your body. When you eat your meals, use smaller plates. The less food you have on your plate, the less you're likely to eat. Alternatively, the more food in front of you, the more you'll eat, many times regardless of how hungry you are. Rather than use dinner size plates which range from 10-14 inches, use salad plates which average 7-9 inches wide.
4. Eat in front of a mirror. While you watch yourself eating, you avoid mindless eating and give incredible accountability as you see yourself as you eat. Having to look at yourself reflects back to you some of your own inner standards, reminds you of your weight loss goals, and reminds you of why you're losing weight, and provides an amazing amount of accountability.
5. Don't eat white. Nix white foods such as white flour, white rice, and white bread. Foods that contain large amounts of simple carbohydrates make your blood sugar rise and crash, and play a large part in weight gain. Substitute the white stuff for whole grain breads, brown rice, and other complex carbs.
6. Eat at home. Eat 90% of your meals at home. Restaurant portions are so large that many serve their food on platters. In addition, your awareness and inhibition tend to be skewed in a restaurant. You're likely to eat more, eat more high-fat and high-calorie foods. By eating at home, you know what's in your food. No hidden fats or sugar. Eat at home to save money and calories.
7. Eat breakfast. Don't skip breakfast thinking you are saving calories. You're not! Start your day by revving your metabolism by feeding your body. A healthy breakfast starts you for a day of healthy eating. It is called "break-fast" for a reason. As you've slept, you've fasted and by eating breakfast, you break the fast. By providing nutrition to your body regularly throughout the day, you won't get overly hungry thus overeat.
Long-lasting changes rarely occur overnight. Make one small change, one step at a time. Before you know it, those changes create a momentum of success that move you forward to your weight loss goals. Changes involve commitment and dedication but you're worth it!
Being Perfect On Your Diet As Set Up For Failure
It's very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you will stray from healthy eating and exercising. You will not be perfect in your diet and exercise program, nor should you be. Success doesn't come from being perfect. Success comes to you from a balance and moderation of healthy habits.It Is About Why You Eat, Not What You Eat
Your weight and body issues don't have anything to do with food. It isn't what you eat but why you eat. One of the problems with weight loss surgery and diet programs is our belief that they hold the answer. If only we can follow them, they will work for us. Unfortunately for many of us, we didn't experience long-term weight loss success. Did we fail? No. Absolutely not! The diets failed because they are not the answer.Commitment List versus Wish List
Do you want to lose weight? Are you hoping for a way of life that includes losing weight, feeling good in your body, wearing a smaller size, and have strong sense of confidence? You can have it. To reach any goal, you need to be committed. To lose weight requires persistence and consistency. It requires saying no to food choices when you'd rather indulge. It requires a commitment to your diet and along with a promise to yourself.