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KEEP THAT NEW YEARS’ RESOLUTION!
How to Successfully Start (or Restart) Your Diet
Flash back to December 31, 1999. As the Times Square ball floats downward, you’re mentally rehearsing your New Years’ resolutions. In 2000, you’re bound and determined to find a good diet and stick with it. After all, what better time to transform yourself than the new Millennium?
But then, those heartfelt Millennium-eve promises gave way to real life. You haven’t had time to lube the car, write thank you notes or even make a dent in your armor-plated resolutions. And, your diet…well, it takes less energy to eat from the vending machine…
Snap out of it! Now is the time to control those pesky dietary resolutions and turn them into success stories! What’s even better – starting your diet is easier than you think! These six tried-and-true tips will help you get back on track and start your diet - successfully.
- Start slow. Have you ever thrown yourself into a diet plan just to experience dietary “burn out” a month later? The trick is to slow down and allow your body time to get used to your new eating pattern. Start your diet by committing to one healthy, good-for-you-meal (like breakfast.) You’ll start noticing positive changes – and changing the rest of your eating habits will be much easier.
- Eat food you actually like. Just because rutabagas are great for your body type doesn’t mean you have to like them. Or even eat them. Choose foods that you enjoy and make your body feel energetic. If you’re gagging down every meal, you’ll head for those leftover Godiva chocolates in no time.
- Set sensible, realistic goals. Sure, we’d all like to be a size 2 by President’s Day, but it probably isn’t going to happen. Don’t overload yourself with scary, unattainable goals. Remember, the more small goals you successfully reach, the more motivated you’ll be to keep going!
- Don’t rut eat. Sure, you may love tender, flaky chicken strips, but you shouldn’t eat them every day (no matter how good for you they are.) Your dietary success requires a variety of healthy culinary choices. If you eat the same thing every day, your body won’t get what it needs and will start squirreling away fat. (You can read more about rut eating on the Bodytype.com site http://www.bodytype.com/mental/rut_eating.html)
- Listen to your body. Ever eat something when you knew you’d pay for it later? Listening to your body means eating the foods that best support you. Once you experience what it’s like to feel really healthy, you’ll also know when your body is out of balance and how to fix it.
- Get support. Reaching your ideal weight is hard work. Ask for support from friends, family and coworkers. If ‘Net support is more your style, message boards (like the Bodytype.com boards at http://www.bodytype.com/mdev_wwwboard/index.html) offers an instant, caring cyber-community. You’ll have a built-in support network for when you’re flying high – and help for those times you really need it.
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