Dieting is as much psychological as it is physical. Before you can stay motivated, you need to find your motivation, the reason why you want to lose weight to begin with. Devising a plan ahead of time helps keep you going. Football teams don't come back from a scoring deficit to win the game without strategy. This is what you must have before starting your diet.
Sign a Contract
Write out a contract for yourself to sign. Include all the reasons for wanting to lose weight, whether it is the desire to look good or improve your health. Write down your current weight and the date, your desired weight and the date you would like to achieve it by. But be realistic. If you want to lose 50 lbs., know this will take more than two months to accomplish. Then pick a starting date -- this is the date you sign your contract. Look back on your signed document often. It helps motivate you by reminding you of why you started your diet. More importantly, it shows the commitment you are making to better your life.
Keep Your Eyes on Small Prizes
Instead of looking ahead to your goal weight, or focusing on the entire amount of weight you want to lose, focus on the small steps getting you there. Reward yourself each time you lose 5 lbs. This won't take much time to lose, and rewarding yourself each time 5 lbs. comes off keeps your spirits high. Go shopping, treat yourself to a movie or take a minivacation. Before you know it, you'll be at your goal weight.
Find an Exercise Buddy
Exercise is a vital aspect to losing weight, but it can be difficult to stick with at times. Having someone you can exercise with keeps you motivated on the days you want to just say the heck with it. Choose activities you both enjoy, such as walking around the block, riding bikes or taking a yoga class. Maybe the gym is your cup of tea, and you both enjoy the elliptical machines. Having a friend to do these things with can make the time fly by.
Give Yourself a Daily Treat
Dieting isn't about total deprivation; it's about moderation. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends eating 100 to 200 calories per day of your favorite food, no matter what it is. This prevents you from overeating or indulging when you shouldn't, resulting in complete dieting disaster. For some, falling off the proverbial wagon is too much to handle. It causes a complete loss of motivation. Giving in to yourself once each day is one way to avert this.
Track Your Progress
The date you start your diet, start a log book for your progress as well. Be sure to include your starting weight and measurements. Measure your upper arms, chest, waist, hips, thighs and calves. Once each week, at the same day and time, weigh and measure yourself, writing your results in your log book. Some weeks you might only lose inches, while other weeks you may lose both inches and pounds. Seeing consistent results is the best motivation there is.
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