The best ways to jump start your diet all start with smart planning. A great plan includes mental preparation of a winning attitude and a firm knowledge base about healthy living. Getting off to a good start also depends on setting up your kitchen for eating healthy and your schedule for good exercise. And you also will need a way to chart and celebrate each success along the way.
Attitude and Food
Set your mind on the target. Choose a date to begin, and use the time until then to prepare your kitchen. Toss the junk food--you will not eat what you do not have handy. Stock up on nutritious, low-carb, low-fat, fresh foods. Position your kitchen scale where you can see it and use it for portion control. The right attitude hates junk quantities as much as it hates junk food.
Prepare fresh veggies such as celery, carrots, radishes or any crunchy, strong-flavored kinds you like, as snacks to carry you past those munchie-craving moments.
Sabotage yourself against weakening your attitude. Tell your friends about your diet plan and the day you will start, and get them rooting for you.
Exercise
Plan an exercise program to burn up calories. Action is much more fun than starvation. Check an exercise calorie calculator to design enjoyable workouts. Visit your doctor for a thorough checkup, get an OK for your exercise plan and follow your doctor's advice.
Schedule your exercise time, and decide on a place for your workouts. Outdoor exercise adds variety and interest. Indoors options control the environment for weather: Home is comfortable and private, and a gym can be high-tech and offer a wide range of tools.
Calibrate your exercise against your dietary intake--every pound of fat on your body contains 3,500 calories--so you can calculate your weight loss plan. Exercise also revs up your metabolism, so you can plan on burning up extra calories even at rest. It trims and sculpts you, too.
Do not plan to lose more than 1 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. More rapid weight loss can damage your metabolism.
Record Your Success
Create a log or journal to record your progress. Start by measuring your starting points. For instance, your weight, body mass index (BMI), waist and neck measurements, your resting heart rate, how close you can get to touching your toes while standing or sitting on your floor, the number of repetitions you can complete in weight lifting and your blood pressure and respiratory rate before and after a brisk 1-mile walk, jog or bike ride.
Measure and record the parameters you select at least every week.
Jump!
Jump right in when your start date arrives. You've planned your work, now you can work your plan. Remember that a diet is more than not eating. It is a complete, healthy life style.
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