Dieting habits: to keep or to break?

I do number 1 - weigh daily.

I do buy down jean sizes during a sale, but I only buy two pairs per size and am stopping at size 10. After that, I will have to be the size to buy it.

I use to weigh daily and am very strict with counting (everything counts). Otherwise, I'm in for the long haul so this is all part of life. I look to where I want to be, not where I was and I refuse to put a timeline on it.

bethnewey wrote:

I have so many dieting habits, and although it feels like they're helping me in the beginning... Maybe they're actually contributing to the "screw it" phase that I get to after a month.

One problem is that you're thinking of this as a "diet" instead of a life change.
A diet is something you do temporarily. Once you go off your diet, back to your original way of living, the improvement you saw will disappear. Your old habits made you unhealthy to begin with. Why go back to them?
Change your life for good (permanent as well as benefit). Don't do anything short-term that you wouldn't be able & willing to do the rest of your life (other than perhaps eating at a calorie deficit... once you get to goal you will be able to eat a bit more).

Weighing yourself regularly

Every morning, and I write it on my calendar. If I've lost, I log it here. (And use the picture to update my ticker.)

Counting down to a specific date to be "skinny" for.

Heavens no. First, I don't want to be skinny, I want to be healthy, and there's no end date on that. Second, as others have said it's a setup for disappointment.

Counting strictly. Eg- having 4 almonds, should that be included in your diary?

Do they have calories? Of course. According to the database here, 4 almonds have 31 calories. Yes, they should be logged, especially if you're running at a close calorie deficit or just getting into the habit of logging food.

Setting small goals but with time limits

Small goals, yes. Time limits, no.
That being said, sometime in November I looked at my average weight loss & figured I could make onederland by 31DEC. Even my doctor thought that was a reasonable goal. Should have worked, too, only weight loss isn't linear & I had a monthlong plateau. Turned out I wasn't too far behind (about a week), and while I was disappointed I didn't let it stop me.

Looking at old photos for motivation

Absolutely! That's why I took the "before" pictures (which were really about 20 lb down, once I figured out that this "eat less, move more" thing was really working, and maybe I should have something to look back on).
And no, seeing my old self has never caused me to overeat. The image has occasionally been a reason I've stopped at just a few cookies, though.

Purposely buying clothes in smaller sizes to fit into

Sometimes.
If it's a slightly smaller size, at a good price, and I'm getting close to being able to wear it, sure.

Sometime last summer I found a pair of cable-knit leggings (think a sweater, but for legs) which were really a size or 2 too small, but I had faith that by the time I needed to wear them they'd fit... and they did. But that was from a thrift store and I think they maybe cost $3.
I've been shopping at thrift stores a lot during this weight loss [event, ordeal, journey, thing] because I don't want to spend lots on clothes which will be too big in a couple months.

I dont see what i am doing as a diet, this is a life style change.
When i wont count anymore
Going back to what i did before than i will gain weight again

So this is for me no diet, but how i start living my life.
Which mean i count and i weigh every day.

lol and nope i dont by clothes a size smaller to work too.
Goals are nice to reach but i will always have my goals in life. I was a heavy sporter so used to setting different goals all the time.