It’s the ‘D’ word we all despise… diet.
It’s not something we enjoy, are excited about or, according to new research, find it easy to stick to.
So how long can you last on a diet?
If you’re sticking to your healthy eating regime for longer than a month, you’re doing better than half of dieters. And the reason women can’t stay away from their favourite junk foods for too long? Half of women blame their willpower for their flailing diets.
What is your idea of a diet? Because one in five women could consider starvation (the eating is cheating diet) a type of diet. The survey, by SlimSticks, also revealed that over half of the population want to shed at least one stone and a quarter of all adults want to get rid of a hefty two stones.
We know most women are looking to change a few eating regimes before the party season and so we’ve compiled the top tips for sticking to your diet.
Which tips are most important to you?
1. Learn The Basics
Don’t even try to change your eating until you have learned important skills, such as how to motivate yourself every day, how to get yourself to use good eating habits, how to withstand hunger and craving, and how to get yourself back on track immediately when you make a mistake.
2. The ‘M’ Word
This time it’s a nicer word than the ‘D’ word…’M’ is for ‘motivate’. Motivate yourself every day by reading a long list of reasons that you want to lose weight. Pull out this list at vulnerable times of the day.
3. Take Your Time
Eat everything sitting down, slowly, and enjoy every bite, whether or not you feel like it. It’s much more difficult to allow yourself to eat off plan, eat mindlessly, or binge if you are doing this. If you are interested in mindful eating and how it can stop you from over-eating, check out our top tips for mindful eating.
4. Stay Accountable
Report (whether or not you have used good eating habits and followed your eating plan) to another person, daily, through email, texting, or voice messages. Stay accountable to yourself by weighing yourself every day. It’s easier if you are attending a weigh-in class to keep yourself in check, so make sure you are making yourself accountable to someone on a regular basis.
5. Stop Looking For The Magic Diet
Stop searching for the perfect diet or the perfect combination of foods. Eat in a very healthy way but allow yourself to have one favourite food, in moderation, every single day.
6. Know The Difference
Teach yourself the difference between hunger and craving or the desire to eat. In the short-run, have a list of powerful distractions to turn your attention away from food.
7. It Takes Time, Tell Yourself That
It’s not necessarily the calories that matter (after all, a few crumbs are not very fattening), it’s the habit of picking them off the empty plate. Every time you stick to your plan when you’re tempted to eat something else, you strengthen your resistance muscle and your mind, which makes it more likely that the next time you’ll resist, and the time after that and the time after that.
