How to Stay Motivated When You're Dieting

Most of us are oh-so-excited when we start a diet. We're motivated to lose the weight and keep it off. We go shopping, get our food in the house, and start.

As long as the scale continues to show that we've lost weight, our motivation usually stays high. But what happens when you don't lose weight - or even gain? What happens at that point when you're bored with your diet food and want some "food fun"? Or how about if your best friend is giving herself a fabulous birthday party, complete with fried lasagna, French fries, birthday cake, and rich ice cream?

When loss of motivation to diet makes you feel like one spoonful away from a major food binge, consider trying one or more of these tips and techniques:

1. Variety! If you eat the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, of course you want to stay off your diet. Do a reality check: what does your diet really offer you with regard to substituting? Eat a pear instead of an apple one day; try salmon in place of tuna, use a different diet salad dressing on your veggies, or try buying a diet cookbook and experimenting with different recipes. Those techniques can help you stay on track.

2. Look for a diet buddy. Having someone to support you who is also on a diet can help your motivation stay strong. In turn, you can help motivate your pal and perhaps expand to exercising together. Team work!

3. Don't assume that a special event requires that you abandon your diet. At the same time, don't let your diet stop you from attending events. Let's say that it's a birthday dinner for your best friend. Call her and insist that you really want to help by bringing your famous vegetable casserole. She'll love your thoughtfulness, and you'll love the fact that you can prepare your own diet food. When it comes to the dessert, make a decision ahead of time: perhaps you can get in some extra exercise before and after the event and enjoy a thin sliver of cake. Or, if you love ice cream, say "no thanks" to the cake, and help yourself to a single scoop of ice cream. Plan your calories so that you can enjoy such a treat on occasion without guilt or harm to your diet.

4. Eat breakfast. You've probably seen that advice before. Many would-be-good dieters, though, think that by skipping breakfast they can "save" their calories for a big lunch and big dinner. Wrong. What happens is that you starve your body, you become extra hungry by noon, and your energy sags. All that makes you more vulnerable to a wrong choice such as a candy bar from the vending machine at snack time instead of the apple you brought from home!