What's your best solution to stay committed to a diet?

[doctat]

I always start something and never want to finish it. Not with work.. but like.. Diets and such.. What helps you stay committed? What's your secret?

[thephilosopher]

you have to have some motivation, have a reason, ask yourself what do you want and why

for me its the girls and looking great and right now my number one reason is a girl I like

whenever I think to skip working out or eating something I shouldn't be I think of her and then me in the mirror, a pic of her helps, I think back to my last fitness results and try to 1up myself

think that the harder you try, the easier it will be

keep looking at yourself in the mirror, see the improvements you make and know the longer and harder you go at it the better you'll look

your clothes will fit better and eventually get big for you then you can tell yourself "wow I used to wear this?"

i used to be like like 200 some lbs, started working out and eating right (remember drink lots of water!) and went to like 170lbs in like not even 2 months my doc was surprised when she checked my weight

i would have lost more but built up muscle mass

in no means am I right where what I want to see myself look like but I'm definitively getting there and you can too you just have to have a reason and support my support was my results and people noticing, I gained a lot of confidence and started talking to that girl

like all things it just takes time and determination, if you want it bad enough make it happen

[WoIIie]

My motivation is that you can be in the best shape of your life while you're young, or you can grow old and never see the true potential your body had.

It can't take up to two years to turn it all around and have sustainable change. If you're 18, you'll be done at 20. If you're 21, you'll be done by 23. So the longer you wait, the more you're gonna miss out on being the best you can be.

[WoIIie]

can*

[Darkfairie17]

Not keeping junk in your house is a great way to eat better. I also keep a lot of quick things I can grab, like bananas, apples and raisins. Diet's don't work, it has been tested and proven, the best thing is to do a lifestyle change. Diets are a temporary solution, once you go back to your regular routine, which most people do when they lose weight, they gain it back and then some. So keep some healthy options at home to eat. Get rid of the junk, and that means processed crap, even lean cuisine is not the best choice because of the salt content and preservatives. Get some quick cooking brown rice, and beans to make up fast, or have some chicken breasts in the freezer to unthaw to cook and eat on top of a salad.

When you are on the go and need to buy lunch, know where the places are that sell healthy alternatives. I usually go to the grocery store, they sell fresh salads, wraps, and sandwiches which are a better choice than going to Mcdonald's and getting a burger.

Oatmeal is a great thing to take along on the go as well. It's filling, and it's something you can easily make up. Take a container to make it in and a spoon and you have a good snack or even lunch. Bring some fruit to put on top to make it even better.

[tigergirl4]

Diets: You have to make it a lifestyle change. I think of the word 'diet' in the context of what ever you eat, what makes up the group of foods you put in your mouth. People think of 'a diet.' Losing weight, or correcting diabetes or other ailments. The key to motivation for commitment to a diet is thinking of it like a commitment to a friend. Think of you now, and who you want to be in the future. When you're reaching for "Just one more cookie!" imagine your furute self is a real person. What would they say to you? The drive has to come from more than just vanity too. If you're trying to achieve it for your looks, once you hit the goal, all that hard work usually goes out the window.

Trust me. I know. I lost 70 lbs. I've kept it off for 2 years.

[Stacyzee]

Congrats on your accomplishment :)

[tigergirl4]

Thanks. I'm flattered that I got best answer :)

Let me know if I can help in any other way.

I'm actually helping another friend of mine lose weight too.

[Anonymous]

My mind. REally, when I set my mind to it I can do it. Working out isn't a problem for me, I'm always motivated to do that because it makes me feel good and tones my body nicely so I do a good cardio about 4 times a week and that helps.

But with eating it's more of an up and down thing. I have a range...I don't know how much exactly, probably somewhere between 5-10 lbs because when I'm at the high end my clothes still fit but they feel a little better when I am at the lower end of my range.

Since I work out this range isn't so big, but sometimes I'm really good about dieting and sometimes I'm bad. For the past month and a half I have been bad and I am at the top of my range, I can feel it. I'm not exactly fat and guys still hit on me and I fit into my clothes but I know my belly is a little rounder, my cheeks are a little fuller, and my hips are a little wider (when you are a short girl almost every pound shows!)

But I'm really my biggest motivator. The past few weeks I've been stressed out and going through a "What the hell I want food" phase and then one morning I just looked at my body and said "You know I miss that super flat stomach I had a few months ago" and for the past few days I've been eating much better (I had really been eating a lot of junk and carbs, going long periods without eating and then splurging on junk and candy. I cut it out now)

And I feel better already because I had a lot of water weight on me.

Moral of the story...it's really me, I have slip ups, often they are seasonal (I tend to peak at an upper point sometime in November or December, feel heavy, and start losing). In the spring or summer I'm in the lower part of my range and in the late fall and early winter I find myself at the higher point most years.

I think it's all in the mind. If you want to diet badly enough, you WILL do it.

[Catie101]

its best to keep your main goal in the front of your mind. do you have this image of what your body could look like? keep that image in your head when you decide what to eat,or when you are deciding if and when you should workout and for how long. I have legit worked out while watching music videos that make me jealous so it pushes me twice/three times as hard as I wouldve. ill watch a movie with someone in it who I think is completely gorgeous and afterward I go in the kitchen and eat a bowl of steamed broccoli. I want to grow my hair out but I need it to be healthy and I have this image of what ill look like in my head. I want it to be a few inches longer by July for my sisters wedding. this means no coloring or cutting my hair or styling it (no further damage and nothing to be cut off) and every time I get the urge to style it or make a hair appointment I put that image in my head and it stops me. never forget your main goal!

[martyfellow]

This works for most people: Take a pcture of yourself in a flattering pose, so that you look like you would LIKE to appear all the time, without camera angles and holding in your stomach!



Post that picture near any place involving food..so that when you go to cheat, you'll be forced to see that picture!

Dont' use pictures of models or starlets, that won't work. Use your OWN picture!

[Impex]

Cutting back slowly. Like take something you like for example coke, cut out coke and leave everything else then after a few weeks without it move on to another food that you want to leave out like cake, but try something that seems easy at first and tackle the harder foods and drinks last.

That way you won't be tempted and won't hurt yourself by falling back onto those old habits.

[rachiee]

Seeing results. Once I get into a routine and see the results, I ALWAYS feel guilty to break it. You need to just work on having more self control and discipline. When I was younger, I use to wear a rubber band on my wrist and snap it when I'd think off path... kinda intense but it worked.

[fascination_streak]

If I want something, I cut out a picture of it or something that relates to it and I hang it up in my house. One picture on my dresser and the other by my computer. It's constantly in my line of vision and it's my reminder of my goal, it pushes me mentally and emotionally. If I want it back enough, I will work and stick with it until I get it.

[Habakkuk]

I'm on the all-you-can-eat diet, so I just have to make a point to eat anything that's not nailed down. Sometimes I catch myself about to leave the table then force myself to go back for seconds. Also, I go for maximum bang-for-the-buck when I buy food, I try to get the most calories for my dollar. So far taco bell has been excellent for this reason, not to mention I love eating there :D.

[Anonymous]

I stay with my diet and working out because I get a ton of more attention from the ladies.

You can lose the weight, it's not very difficult. What is difficult is keeping it off.

I let myself have one day a week where I eat whatever I want so I won't lose my mind.

Despite watching my diet, I still eat really yummy food - stuff I love.

[Anonymous]

constantly remind yourself why you set it up in the first place and how awesome it'll feel when you finish that goal

[Anonymous]

I reward myself until I don't have to reward myself anymore. So I'll set a goal to let's say stick to a diet for two weeks. If I do, then I'll buy a small reward or do something for myself that makes me feel good. I just keep setting these small goals and rewarding myself until I no longer need the reward to accomplish my goals. Not sure if this is a good technique, but it works for me.