Every year millions of us make a New Year”s resolution to lose weight. Every year millions of us give up before the end of January. Let”s take a look at some of the things we do to set ourselves up for failure year after year.
Super Restrictive Diets
We all like instant gratification. We want to loose 30 pounds in 3 days. That”s what drives us to super restrictive diets that promise immediate fast results. We go on the soup diet, the rice diet or the egg diet. We are bound to give up — who can eat that stuff for 30 days straight?
The Juice Diet
With this particular diet, you don”t have anything other than water and this disgustingly sweet juice for 48 hours. Sure you”ll lose a few pounds of water when you first try it, but it”s obviously not a long-term diet plan.
Diet Pills
Diet Pills are supposed to work by suppressing your appetite and boosting your metabolism by using caffeine and similar stimulants. They don”t work well long term for two reasons. You don”t feel very well if you”re jacked up on caffeine that much. I tend to get grumpy, impatient and jittery. Secondly, their effects tend to wear off over time. Your body just gets used to all the extra stimulants and you loose the intended benefits and are simply stuck with a caffeine addition.
Low Carb Diet
Any diet that cuts out most of a major food group will be hard to stick with. Low carb diets were all the craze a few years ago, but are slowly starting to fade out. The reason is simple. In the long run, we don”t want to give up bread, pasta and rice.
One of the most important things you can do to ensure that you stick with your weight loss goals is to write a contract with yourself, promising to stick with the resolution that you have made. If you want to lose a specific amount of weight within a certain amount of time, be sure to include this in the contract along with what you specifically plan to do to lose the weight. Post the contract somewhere you”ll be sure to see it everyday.
Setting goals is an excellent way to make sure that you stay on track with your weight loss plans; however, it is important to ensure that your goals are manageable and not too broad in scope. Due to the fact that dieting can become tiresome very quickly, you may find it helpful to energize your diet with a new goal each week. This gives you something to work on, and even look forward to, each week. Examples of small goals you can set for yourself include starting an exercise routine, cutting out sodas, drinking more water, etc.
Small goals are also a great incentive to work your way up to larger goals, an important component of sticking to your diet plans. Rather than saying you plan to lose weight this year, instead make it a point to commit to losing a specific amount of weight within a definite time frame. This helps to ensure that you do not put off your weight loss plans indefinitely.
As with any major change in your life, it”s generally always easier to accomplish your goals when you have the help and support of friends and family. Make a point to inform those close to you that you are dieting and what you hope to accomplish. In addition, it”s always a good idea to let them know exactly what you”re doing to lose weight so they do not unintentionally sabotage your diet plans. The presence of a weight loss buddy who can keep you on track and motivated will significantly decrease the chances that you”ll give up before accomplishing your goals.
Most people function well under a rewards system and losing weight is no different, provided that you ensure your rewards support your diet and do not undermine them. While you may look forward to enjoying an ice cream sundae after reaching a weight loss goal, think of other rewards that you would enjoy and keep your diet intact. Consider rewarding yourself for every milestone you reach, such as every five pounds lost. Positive reward examples include a manicure, massage, new book/CD/DVD, new shirt, etc. Significant weight loss goals, such as 25 pounds or 50 pounds, could warrant a larger reward such as a weekend trip or something else meaningful.
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