When is it best to start a diet?

Jamie23049

For me personally I know that I really need to start dieting. I will attend uni in September and I want to be comfortable in my body for the first time ever. I would have already begun dieting but currently im under a lot of stress because I have exams coming up so I wouldn't like to be constantly thinking about how I need to lose weight and my exams. I finish all my exams June 27th and I attend uni September 18th which gives me around 3 months to lose weight. My major issue is my addiction to soda and I know I need to stop but if I stopped drinking it now I will end up being moody with constant headaches which wouldn't help with all the exams. Is it easier to lose weight during the summer period?

JaydedMiss

excuses. start now theres no reason you cant reach for healthy food and good portions, I find it actually helps lower my stress and give me a sense of control whn things are stressing me out. Also, Diet soda is fine. Seriously. Dieting is only more stressful whn you buy into huge changes, Its as simple as eating less calories

edit: if your making excuses now, youll make excuses later as well. you know this, i know this. Just stop with the excuses and do it youll feel much better. I swear its as much work making all the excuses as it is to just do it half the time

InkAndApples

Now. Immediately. As soon as the idea strikes you.

Muscleflex79

so many excuses....if you want to change start NOW

sosteach

The best time to start is today. If you are worried about caffeine withdrawal headaches switch to tea or diet soda. Maybe add a couple of 15 minute walks a day (huge stress reliever). I find summer easier because the weather is more conducive to outdoor activities.

dmt4641

I think you are viewing "dieting" as something super strict that takes 100% focus. It doesn't have to be if you are willing to eat similar meals over and over and make small changes over time. Stopping full sugar sodas is an easy way to cut a bunch of calories. In order to not get a headache, I would suggest gradually weaning yourself off the caffeine. But you don't need to drink full sugar soda to get caffeine. Sugar free soda or tea or coffee would have no calories and still give you caffeine. So if you are drinking 5 full sugar sodas a day now, replace several of them with sugar free alternatives. Then next week replace all of them with sugar free. Then slowly cut down to 4 a day, 3 a day, until you are drinking a normal level of caffeine.

As far as food, pick several meals you enjoy eating that will give you some protein and veggies and healthy fats. They don't have to be complicated. Then make them over and over again until you have more free time to think of other recipe combinations.

jwcanfield

There is always going to be stress - and I'm almost 50 years past your age. In fairness, it might be easier to start after this round of exams is over. But then start learning how to eat and live in a healthy fashion and don't stop. There will be more exams, personal issues (hopefully more good than bad!), reasons to celebrate or mourn, boredom, excitement, jobs and finances, delicious food and wine or beer. Did I say "ice cream"? NOW is when you need to create a solid scaffold to build your personal house upon.

elphie754

Wait..... how old are you?

Jamie23049

elphie754 wrote: »

Wait..... how old are you?

18

InkAndApples

dmt4641 wrote: »

I think you are viewing "dieting" as something super strict that takes 100% focus. It doesn't have to be if you are willing to eat similar meals over and over and make small changes over time.

So much this. I find calorie counting and prelogging actually helps me deal more easily with any stress relating to food - I know exactly what I can eat/have accounted for and so I worry about it far less.

ninerbuff

Today. And it doesn't take that much focus to diet. You just have to be AWARE of how many calories you're consuming.

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Jamie23049

ninerbuff wrote: »

Today. And it doesn't take that much focus to diet. You just have to be AWARE of how many calories you're consuming.

I eat 1400 calories a day. My addiction to soda is what causes the problem I drink around 850-900 calories of soda a day which brings my intake to 2300 calories. Removing soda is so hard for me ive attempted it maybe 10 times in the past and have only ever been successful at it once.

GottaBurnEmAll

I'm going to talk to you like I'd talk to one of my children, so imagine this in a kind, encouraging voice, not a nasty one.

You're making excuses. Stop that, you're better than that. If you're smart enough to be pursuing a higher education, you're smart enough not to be fooling yourself.

Headaches from trying to quit soda are due to the caffeine. You can get caffeine from other sources, including diet soda. Drink that instead. If you're worried about artificial sweeteners, there's no need to worry. They have been thoroughly researched and are safe.

There's no preoccupation that comes with dieting, you're being dramatic in thinking such things. Stop that. You're better than that and just imagining the worst.

Solve the problem instead of imagining even more problems.

JetJaguar

Then don't remove soda, just switch to ones with no calories. I switched from Coke to Coke Zero to get my caffeine fix.

The time to start dieting is when results are more important to you than excuses.

RubyLou25

When the excuses stop.

I decided to start losing weight this past semester. I took 12 500 level credits, had a job, and am a mom.

Just because there were times exercise wasn't going to happen, I still counted calories.

Unknown

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MichelleWithMoxie

Right meow.

estherdragonbat

Now. Or at least, before you get a wakeup call in the form of an obesity-related/exacerbated condition. (For the record, despite being over 100 lbs overweight, my general health was fairly good. Until it wasn't.)

FireTurtle75

Honestly, yesterday was the best time, but since that's over you can start right now just by making small changes.
Sodas were killing me. I was addicted to them & was drinking anywhere between 1000-2000 calories a day from them. I literally never went more than an hour without downing a can of coke or root beer & that didn't even include the ones I drank at meal times. I could kill a 12 pack of coke in one day & not even bat an eye.
I switched to zero calorie sodas somewhere around October. Then in April, I decided to quit those when I made the decision to go on a keto diet. Now I just drink a lot of water, a cup of coffee in the morning & a hot cup of tea once or twice a day.
Between October & April, I dropped 10 lbs just by cutting out the regular sodas. Seriously, get rid of that stuff. If it's too hard all at once, do what I did & at least ditch the sugar loaded bullets because eventually if you don't deal with it now, they are going to kill you, like they were doing to me.

I'm 42 & I wasted many years that I could have been of enjoying life a whole lot more than I was because of my weight & sodas were playing a major role in that. Don't wait until the next 20 years of your life have gone by to make changes. You can do this!

Poisonedpawn78

Welcome to being an adult. Life is going to be like this forever now for you. There will never be a point where you arent stressed about something. You have to take control of the situation and manage it as best you can. Nobody is perfect.

There is never going to be a perfect time to diet, its how motivated are you to actually go down that road?

dragon_girl26

When to start? Yesterday! I finally decided to lose weight when I ran out of excuses and realized no one was going to do it for me. Ultimately, you have to want it badly enough that the idea of NOT doing it isn't an option.

malibu927

As an 18-year-old male, you should be eating a lot more than 1400 calories.

Also you can switch to diet soda.

Heather4448

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

Chadxx

Diet? Never

Eating responsibly and maintaining a calorie deficit? Right now

There will always be excuses and they will get you nowhere. Making responsible decisions one day at a time will improve your health and allow you to accomplish your goals.

ruqayyahsmum

When your ready

Theres always going to be stressful situations. Comes part and parcel of being an adult im afraid

If you really dont want to start until after exams then start logging everything now so you have a clear idea of what your eating now

Take some walks increasing in time/speed. Helps condition you so high intensity exercise wont be quite as much of a shock and it clears the head

Start swapping out your high sugar soda bit by bit

Summers a great time to lose weight as is autunm, winter and spring

clicketykeys

As others have said, right now. That doesn't mean you have to do everything all at once. In fact, you'll probably be more successful if you make a small change or two today, another few next week, and so on.

Baby steps!

150poundsofme

The best time to start a diet? When January 1 falls on a Monday.
Diet soda like many mentioned above. Sometimes you do need to psyche yourself up. Good luck on your exams and hugs

kenyonhaff

I would say, "Today".

But here's some caveats: I think there are some times that it isn't easy to do and maybe it's OK to wait.

There are some times in life when making a change might be a little too much to fully focus on and follow through. Sometimes just waiting a few weeks will allow for better centering, calmness, or focus. Dieting when you can't fully follow through may be setting up for failure.

1. Exams in a high-pressure environment. You're busy studying and such, and maybe you'll be in a calmer and more focused place in just a week or two.
2. Starting a new school or job: It takes time to adjust to a new environment, and while it *might* be a good time to start afresh with new habits, on the other hand it may be one too many balls to juggle right now.
3. High Psychological Stress: Your mother died, you lost your job, you are going through a painful divorce, you are having issues with your PTSD... again, for some people having a goal is focusing, but for others, it's too much right now.

Geocitiesuser

"When is it best to start a diet?"

Right now.

Sheisinlove109

Start now, but not a diet...a lifestyle change.

You'll be glad you did.

nissarayna

Now. Not later, there will always be a reason or excuse to put it off. I had planned to go on a diet, the month after I actually did, I dove straight in and just did what need to be done to start looking, feeling and actually being healthier.