Are you wondering how to stick to a diet to get the best weight loss results? It seems impossible, but it doesn’t have to be.
Follow these basic steps and you’ll be on your way to a healthier and thinner you in no time!
There are so many routes that can be taken, with healthy eating being one of the first steps on the path to finishing them.
To help you get started, here are 25 simple tips for sticking to your diet.
Why Sticking To A Diet Seems Hard?
Sticking to a diet seems difficult because there are so many food options out there.
There are such a finite amount of calories in any one food, and it’s easy to forget what a large portion of your daily intake should come from vegetables instead of bread, for example.
The struggle is real, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up.
I have some helpful tips that will get you on the right track and make staying committed much easier on yourself.
The Importance of Dieting
Dieting is something that everyone thinks about at some point in their life, as it’s a popular weight loss goal that can be achieved by simply modifying the food and drink intake.
Dieting can be hard for some people, mainly because it involves changing the way you eat.
Whether you’re trying to lose weight or improve your health, there are some basic strategies that can help you get started.
Most of the time, dieting is all about creating a caloric deficit, meaning that you are taking in fewer calories than your body needs to function on a daily basis.
Calories are important because they are what’s known as energy sources that contain both sustenance and fuel.
They’re obtained from fats, carbohydrates and proteins, but the exact amount needed by every person differs depending on factors like age, weight and gender.
25 Tips On How To Stick To A Diet
If you’re looking to get in shape and get in the best shape of your life, then you need to be able to learn how to stick to a diet for a successful weight loss.
This is hard for most people to do, as they often have a hard time with eating the right foods, and that can really cause problems when you’re looking to drop some weight.
There’s no reason for you to be scared about learning how to stick to a diet and getting in shape though, as there are plenty of different things that you can do in order to get started.
The best thing that you can do is set up a schedule for yourself where you know exactly what your goals are, and then consider adding in a workout routine so that you can get your body into the right shape.
Without any further ado, here are some of the most important tips that you need to be able to stick to a diet and most importantly, see results.
1. Set Goals
There are many ways to set goals. It can be as simple as a number or goal that you want to achieve, like the number of pages or time you want to read per day.
It can be something more specific, like losing 10 pounds or keeping 20 pounds of weight.
Or it can be something as grandiose as running a marathon or going back to school.
The important thing is to set goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible).
Once you have your goals in place, write them down! You can do this by making a list of your goals and then writing them down in chronological order.
You can write down the date that you intend to accomplish each goal, whether that be this year, next year or in another four years.
Once you’ve written your goals down, it’s time to make plans.
2. Make a Plan
I’ve said many times in my other posts that planning is key to success and planning is key to not overeating and gaining weight back.
Your plan should contain your personal eating schedule (a schedule full of natural meals), exercise program and any other elements of your plan that are important to you.
Don’t forget to include a reward for reaching your goals, whether it be a piece of cake after losing 20 pounds or going home to see your family this holiday season.
This is what keeps you motivated and moving forward. More on this below…
3. Write It Down
I know you may not want to write your goals and to-do list down but sometimes you have to write down what you want so that you can accomplish it.
Write your goals down on paper and place them somewhere visible so that you’ll remember them until they are done.
You can even place a copy of your to-do list in your wallet so that you have it with you at all times.
4. Look At It Often
Look at your goals frequently so that you keep them in the front of your mind and remind yourself how important they are to you.
Look up some pictures of what you want to look like and put them where you can see them too.
They’re great motivators! What’s great about this is that since they’re pictures, they don’t require any effort or work on your part.
You can do all the work by looking at what you’re trying to achieve and feeling motivated. How cool is that?
5. Be accountable
Be accountable to yourself and to someone else if possible.
This is a good way of staying motivated, seeing your progress and celebrating your successes.
Have someone hold you responsible for sticking to your plan and work with them as a partner.
Maybe this person can be your one phone call or email per day so that you can check-in and keep each other on track.
Or have them check on you once a week (or once a month) so that they can see how well you’re doing.
Accountability is a great motivator and you can have someone else hold you accountable for your goals.
6. Make a Plan For Eating Out
Sometimes eating out is inevitable, whether it be with friends, family or on business trips.
These are times that we simply can’t avoid eating out if we want to see our friends and family or if our jobs require it.
Before you go into these situations, make a plan for it by finding restaurants that are healthy and will be compliant with your diet (make sure to look at the menu before going in!).
You don’t want to get caught in the “I couldn’t find anything I wanted to eat” trap because we all know how easily that one works!
7. Get Rewards Along The Way
Once you reach each goal or milestone, reward yourself for your hard work.
Have something fun planned! Maybe you’ll get to do something special or spend quality time with loved ones.
Maybe you’ll treat yourself to a day of shopping and splurging on your favorite food.
Whatever it is, just reward yourself when you reach each goal so that you keep moving forward!
8. Reward Yourself When You Lose Weight
Just as I said above, reward yourself for losing weight.
Maybe you’ll hire a personal trainer or buy something great that will make you feel good about the progress that you’ve made.
Make it a point to reward yourself when you reach these milestones and stick to your diet plan and lifestyle changes.
It doesn’t have to be expensive, just something that will boost your confidence and motivate you to keep moving forward!
9. Create Rewards for Staying On Track
Sometimes the best motivation is a little bit of excitement.
Create some rewards for yourself as you reach various milestones by getting new clothes or shoes, getting your hair done, or giving yourself something for your home.
Whatever it is, make sure that you plan these rewards in advance because you can’t reward yourself if you haven’t planned for it!
10. Give Yourself Something To Look Forward To
We all need that little something that gives us an extra boost of motivation and helps us get started.
Just give yourself something to look forward to, whether it be coming up on your favorite holiday or the last week of the year.
We all need some kind of motivation and this is a great way to do it!
You can also think about how amazing you’re going to look when you’ve lost weight and what you’ll be able to do once you’ve reached your goals (like run a marathon or have a beach body).
Let yourself imagine the day when you’re there — that will motivate you too!
11. Take breaks
Sometimes, we need to take a break from our lifestyle plans because things happen that require us to jump back in.
This can be as simple as going out for dinner with friends or as important as using up all of your vacation days.
Take breaks from your lifestyle plan occasionally when you need to, but don’t forget to let the momentum of your plan carry you forward.
12. Make It Fun
Sometimes, we all need a little help getting motivated so that we get started and stay on track.
We all like things that we enjoy doing, and if you can combine things that you enjoy into your lifestyle plan, you’ll find that it’s much easier for motivation to kick in.
It will be easier to follow through with the diet when the going gets rough (especially if it’s difficult!).
Make it fun by setting it up so that you’re rewarded for reaching certain milestones or other rewards along the way.
Do things that you enjoy and schedule them to make sure that you stick to your goals.
13. Schedule It In
Scheduling things in can help us get started and stay on track, especially if it’s something that we need to do frequently.
If your goal is to drink more water, schedule in time for yourself each day so that you don’t forget.
Or if you need to exercise, schedule it into your daily planner ahead of time so that it’s not an afterthought by the time the day comes around.
14. Be Patient With Yourself
If you fall off track with your lifestyle changes, don’t get discouraged! Don’t dwell on negative things and remember that this is a process that takes time.
If you don’t stay on track, don’t beat yourself up. Just keep going and do a better job next time.
15. Include Exercise in Your Dieting Plan
Working out is a great way to boost your motivation and keep going with your lifestyle plan.
It can help you feel energized and happy, so get moving! If you’re having a hard time getting started, try taking things one small step at a time.
It’s all about baby steps as long as you’re still moving forward! Make it fun by trying something new or getting out of your comfort zone.
Put exercise in your dieting plan and you’ll find it easier to maintain the weight loss.
16. Increase Your Activity Level
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines for months, now’s not the time to jump right in and overdo it!
If you haven’t exercised in a while, start by increasing your activity level gradually. To start, try taking a short walk every couple of days.
Then work up to getting out and doing something more active. Even if you’re not ready to run a 5K, just getting out there will help your motivation level and keep things moving!
As long as you’re working toward your goals (and not against them), you’ll be fine!
17. Go Easy On The Junk Food
If you’re looking for motivation to stick to your newfound lifestyle plan, avoid the junk food.
No matter how many times you have it, it’s not going to help you reach your goals or keep you on track with your diet plan.
Cut out the snacks and junk food. This will not only keep you motivated, but it will also help to achieve those weight loss goals in no time!
18. Keep Track of What You Eat
Include this step in your lifestyle plan! If you’re not keeping track of what you eat, it’s going to be much harder to learn what works for you and what doesn’t.
If you don’t keep track of how much you’re eating and how many calories you are consuming, it’s going to be difficult for you to know what’s right for your body and which foods are best for losing weight!
Keeping a food journal is the key — make sure that you write down everything that goes into your body so that you can stay on plan.
19. Keep a Food Journal
If you want to keep track of all of the food that you’re eating, it’s going to be much easier for you to stay on your diet plan.
Keeping a food journal will not only help you learn what foods are best for your lifestyle, but it will also help ensure that you’re staying on track.
If you don’t keep track of everything that goes in your body, it’s going to be difficult for you to know what works and which foods won’t work for your lifestyle!
Chances are if something doesn’t work well with your body or isn’t healthy for it, then you won’t end up loving it as much as other amazing things that do!
20. Cook at Home
This one might seem simple enough, but it’s actually one of the best ways to keep yourself on track.
If you’re eating out a lot, you’ll probably find that you’re eating junk food.
However, if you cook at home, you’ll have a healthier diet and will also be less likely to eat junk food which means that the weight loss will be easier.
21. Get Support
If your motivation is starting to fade and things aren’t going as well as they could, seek some support from others who are trying to lose weight too.
This way, you can talk it out, bounce ideas off of each other and enjoy the motivation that you both have along the way.
To keep yourself motivated when things are hard, find other people who are trying to lose weight and talk things out with them.
22. Don’t Skip Meals
Including snacks in your lifestyle plan is fine, but if you’re skipping meals, you’re not going to get the nutrition that your body needs and you’ll be less likely to stick to the diet plan.
This will leave you feeling cranky and unsatisfied. It’s best to eat smaller meals throughout the day or have a couple of healthy snacks — regular meals keep us going much better than little snacks.
Remember that it’s best to have breakfast every day so don’t skip it!
23. Stay Active
Staying active is a great way to boost your motivation and make sure that you stay on track with your lifestyle changes.
If you don’t stay active, you’re less likely to stick with your diet plan and less likely to keep moving toward your goals.
If you don’t want to exercise or don’t feel like working out, try taking a short walk every day or go for a run or ride your bike.
24. Don’t Compare Yourself to Other People
People will often compare themselves to other people in their area who are doing better on their weight loss goals than they are.
While this is good to a certain extent, there’s no reason to make this part of your lifestyle plan.
If you’re trying to change the way you look, the only person that you should be comparing yourself to is the person that you used to be.
So don’t compare yourself, just keep going and doing what’s best for your body.
24. Do What You Can
This is similar to “don’t compare yourself”. Just do what you can and don’t spend too much time dwelling on how other people are doing it better than you are.
If you look around, you’ll see that there are plenty of people who have the exact same goal in mind — to lose weight and get in better shape.
You need to make sure that you’re not wasting your time comparing yourself to them because they’re probably not trying as hard as you are!
There’s no reason to feel disheartened if things aren’t going as well as they could be. There is always a way for you to reach your goals and there’s no reason for discouragement.
If your motivation is starting to wane, ask yourself if this is really what you want and it’s true for the rest of your life. If this is a lifestyle change that you want, keep going and don’t stop!
Final Thoughts On How To Stick To A Diet
So how do you stick with a diet for the long term? Honestly, it’s neither too hard nor impossible!
However, if you choose to change your eating habits, you need to make sure that you’re prepared to work out and keep going for the rest of your life!
Take things one day at a time. If you don’t feel like working out, ask one of your friends to join you so that you don’t have to go it alone.
It’s okay if things aren’t going as well as you’d like them to — just keep moving forward and make the changes that are best for your lifestyle.
Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard. Losing weight doesn’t even have to be complicated.
You just need to figure out what works for you and how you can stick with it long term!
If you keep these tips in mind as you try to lose weight, you can reach your goals without putting too much effort into it. This way, you’ll be able to reach your goals without feeling like you’re putting too much work into it.
Be realistic with your goals and remember that no diet works perfectly for everyone.
If this is your first time trying something new or if you’re experiencing health complications like anemia or hypothyroidism, then remember that what matters most is how well the diet works for you.
You might not lose as much as someone else or as quickly, but if it’s working for you, then that’s the only thing that matters.
I hope this article on how to stick to a diet will come in handy as you embark on your weight loss journey.
Good luck!
