How to Stick to a Diet and Lose Weight

If you are like most dieters, this may be a familiar experience to you. First, you make a resolution to lose weight. You start with a diet plan and make a promise to stick to it. The first day or few days you follow directions to the point. But soon, you begin to find yourself cheating and ignoring guidelines as if you were not in control. You find yourself nibbling on snacks too much. At meal times, you simply forget about your resolution and only realize that you have broken your vow when it is too late and your stomach feels like it is about to burst due to the amount of food you have stuffed in it. Finally after a few days, you get discouraged and agitated and start overeating again. At the end you wind up with more weight than you originally started with, feeling guilty and hopeless believing that you can never win.

Finding the right diet or exercise plan that would work is not very hard. While a good comprehensive plan is important but sticking to the plan for a considerable amount of time enough to observe results is most essential.

What is causing failure for most dieters comes from a natural response from the body to changes in behavior. The body's tendency is to resist any change. An approach is required to confront this natural reaction wisely to overcome what seems impossible. Keep in mind that changes in behaviors that have developed with you throughout your life will never happen overnight. All you need is a plan to help you stick to the new behavior over a considerable period of time until it becomes a lifestyle.

Change your eating habits one step at a time. While you should not ignore failures, you should never make them bigger than what they really are. Recognize them, make note of them and learn from them. Then put them behind you and look forward to your next success. Progresses built on top of experience learnt from past failures tend to make lifelong achievements and develop strong personality.

Here is an easy to follow instruction on how to take charge of your eating habits and change them as you desire. All you need is a scale so you can weigh yourself everyday and a midsize notebook to take notes of your daily progress.

In the notebook on the first page:
1- Write the date and your current weight at the top
2- Write your diet plan as descriptive as possible.
3- Write down your goal on exercise if your diet plan includes one
4- Make a list of things you should not eat. This may include things like chocolates, donuts, or other types of snacks or sugary soft drinks.
5- Make a list of things you are allowed to eat and the amount you are allowed to eat of each
6- Write down the times you are allowed to eat (this will depend on the diet plan you choose)

For subsequent pages in the notebook, dedicate each page to one day. Write the date at the top with your weight, measured in the morning. Then during the day, make note of your goof-ups with the time they happen. Write down if you eat something you should not have or if you eat a little too much or if, for example, you put too much sugar in your coffee. Any deviation from your diet should be reflected. Don't worry about mistakes and failures. Don't blame yourself if at times you forget and eat something you should not have. The only important thing is to remember to write it down as soon as possible. When you write it then you can forgive yourself and forget about it and start over.

Remember that no one is going to read this except you so be as detailed as possible. If you make the same mistake three times in one day, the page for that day should reflect the event three times. This is very important.

Take the notebook with you everywhere. Keep it up-to-date throughout the day and don't wait for the night. You will forget some important events and this way your efforts may not be as effective as they can be.

If exercise is part of your weight loss plan, and for any reason you skip a day, don't hesitate to make a note.

At nights before going to bed, read through that day's page and see what can be improved for the next day and learn from your mistakes.

The practice will only take a few minutes each day but will make you more self-aware and aware about your eating habits. Overtime you will find yourself more in control of what you eat and how you eat. As you become more aware of your habits and begin to take control, failures will start to have less effect on you and you will learn how to keep on going despite all ups and downs.