10 ways to keep up a diet

het volgende berichtje heb ik op de 'My Fitness Pal' website gezet, en wilde ik hier ook even delen. Sorry dat het in het Engels is!

Now, I am not an expert, although I started my first diet 20 years ago, and have regularly dietted since, but here are some things I learned since I started dieting this time around- as well as a few things I learned before and am doing again now:

1. Eat little and often.- in the past I thought dieting was about starving yourself. Now I don't; in fact my colleagues laugh at the fact I seem to be eating constantly since I have been on my diet, yet continue loosing weight. Why? I eat little healthy snacks, in stead of the usual 'junk snacks, I now have 2 multi grain crackers or a portion of fruit. I have about 4 portions of fruit and 2 lots of crackers- it just keeps me nice and full, and away from the many temptations.

2. Ditch the bread and cereal- During previous diets I used to eat a bowl of Kellogs in the morning- not 30 grams, but 80 grams in order to be fulfilled- and 2 slices of wholemeal bread with cheese for lunch. Bread and kellogs have so much sugar and so many carbohydrates. I now start my day with 40 grams of Porridge with semi skimmed milk and water (to reduce the amount of milk used) and I lunch having a lovely bowl of warm soup. Both meals fill me up, but I know I have still have enough calories left for my fruit, crackers, an evening meal and maybe another treat of my choice. Besides- soup is so much tastier than a boring cheese sandwich!

3. Plan your day- I normally plan what I will have for breakfast, lunch and evening dinner and then plan my snacks around those. This way I know early in the day whether I can accept that yummy scone that my colleague brought in for her birthday, or whether I should decline, because I have a big dinner planned in the evening.

4. Have a 'break day'- if you set to diet for a long time the thought of 'not being allowed to have a chinese takeaway for a long long time' can put you off from the start. I have recently started allowing myself a 'break day'- which is planned in after my weighin every week. so far it worked well for me- I loose the weight I gained within days after, and then loose another pound in the days after that ahead of my next weigh in. Knowing that I can have 'that chinese' at the end of the week makes me long for it less. In fact; I have not had a chinese since I started my diet, as on weighin day my craving for it has dissapeared. At least the option to have it is there.

5. If you want it- work for it- Now 1 thing I can't do without is my weekend wine. I have a bottle of wine every Saturday. In order to have enough calories left to also eat sensibly throughout the day, this means I have to exercise at some point. So every Saturday morning you will find me in the gym, giving it my all, with the aim to reallly appreciate that wine tonight- as I know I deserved it!

6. Don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day- it is so easy to get completely demotivated and just give up the diet when you have a bad day and gone over your calories. Don't- allow yourself a bd day once in a while and start with new enthousiasm the next day. Also; count up the calories that you were under in the days before- i bet you didn't go over as many calories as that you went under in thew eek before your bad day- so really your good days generally cancel out the additional calories you had on your bad day anyway!

7. if the weight doesn't come off- don't panic- Fortunately this hasn't happened to me on a week to week basis yet since I started MFP, but some times I think I have done really well sticking to the diet, and then the next day I am a pound heavier than before. Don't worry- it will come off eventually, and remember; if you hadn't been dieting you may well have gained more! I have spent 1 year and 2 months to loose 30 pounds. (2 months of which using MFP- lost 18 pounds since Jan) 30 pounds over such a long time isn't much, it equates to 1 pound per fotnight..., but then; how much heavier would I have been if I hadn't persisted?

8. Celebrate every goal and milestone met. Now, to keep motivated I have a tendancy to celebrate every milestone. Although my MFP goal is -10KG (22pounds) I have already celebrated a number of milestones: being the lowest weight since 3 years ago, meeting one of my short term goals (I have set myself shorter term 8 pound goals, so already celebrated 2) fitting in a smaller size, or simply; losing 1 stone, being under 13 stone, and now under 12 stone.... there is always reasons to celebrate your achievements. Broadcast them as well; it is great to receive compliments on your goals. And when you meet a 'big goal' treat yourself to something nice, I am planning to buy a new summer coat when I reach my MFP goal....

9. You don't 'have to' exercise lots!- Yes, lots of you will be exercising lots and thats brilliant, I always used to do so as well. In fact in 2011 I exercised almost every day between January and November. Not this time.... I work full time, have a kid and household to run. thats enough to fit in my day. I will exercise every Saturday and will aim to walk places rather than taking my car, but if I don't exercise any more; don't worry. I am doing well enough keeping to my diet. Having some 'me time' at the end of the day is just as important for your health as exercising!

10. Be proud of yourself; you are using a lot of determination to stick to a diet, and possibly exercise regime. Be proud of yourself!

Hope these tips help others as much as they helped me. Good luck guys!