Hey!! How does everyone stay focused on their diet?

I have stayed focused b/c I wanted to have a healthier life. I looked at this as a lifesytle change & a life long change, not a diet. I see this as how I want to be for the rest of my life. So that means that once I loose all the weight, not much will change for me. I will still be eating healthier & still be what I eat.

I have also not deprived myself of the things that I really really want. If I want a cookie, then I eat a cookie. If I want a coke, then I have it. I do watch how much of these items I eat, but I still eat them.

However in the begining I was super strict with it. I rarely ate them. Now, I can have 1 cookie & be fine where as before 1 cookie turned into like 5-6 cookie.

You CAN do this!

I eat in moderation - I have treats and drinks and live my life, but I'm just more thoughtful than I used to be. So, instead of getting a craving for brownies and eating a whole pan, I'll stop at a cafe and buy a single brownie. I get my fix, and I don't feel the need to eat a whole pan. I started learning to cook and I eat wholesome, natrual foods. I remind myself that I eat to provide for my body, and everything I put in it makes up it's parts. The more fresh, whole food in there, the better. I like being active too, and I know that in order to be an active person, I've gotta have the right fuel for the activities. That helps a lot too.

And of course, log everything. When I see it written down, in black and white, I am so much more likely to stick with smart choices.

"fit is not a destination it is a way of life."~via Pinterest

I don't see it as a diet, it's a lifestyle for me. Sometimes it helps to change the way you say things if that makes sense? I think it feels overwhelming and frustrating when your on a "diet."

Best wishes. :0)

I try to keep mini goals in mine... my current goal I'm working for is my birthday coming up in 2 months... Everyday when I want to cheat I tell myself I only have X number of days left until my birthday and I do not want want to begin the next year of my life in the same possition that i'm in... Or I have X amount of days to get in shape before Christmas, or until I see my family at Easter etc... small goals to keep focused for

Like most others who have posted so far, I don't think of my current eating habits as a "diet" in any type of restrictive sense. For me what has worked best is to make gradual changes and to focus on the positive - to work toward doing the things I know I need to be doing and not worry so much about the things I shouldn't be doing.

My biggest weakness was sugar. So one of my first changes was to go to having desert once a day instead of after every meal. Sure, I could have lost weight faster if I'd cut out all extra sweets, but I can tell you now I would not have been able to stick with it if I'd started that way. So, make changes you can live with. Focus on what you can do today. Don't worry about the changes you'll have to make next month, you can worry about them when that time arrives.

For the focus on the positive part, work on eating more vegetables and fruits and getting enough protein. If you're eating healthy amounts of all the good foods your body needs you won't have much room left over for "extras" that aren't as healthy.

Also, keep going. If you make a choice you later regret, learn from it but don't let it derail you. Each time you make a choice about what to eat is an opportunity to make good choices. Just because you may chose one less-healthy option does not mean you have to continue to chose other unhealthy options. In other words, a cheeseburger is just a cheeseburger. It doesn't have to "ruin" your day. Just log it and keep going.

Good luck on your journey. :happy:

No "bad" food in the house and NO fast food.

It's really hard to eat food that isnt there.

You'll also discover how much time you used to spend eating I have so much time now, my house is sparkling clean.

How is your cholesterol? Mine is 249, & I came here to bring it down. So I am eating oatmeal or cheerios for breakfast.

I am learning to eat in moderation. Like I love to go by the serving size on the container or package, then there is room for more food.

I just need more exercise. I have health issues; back & shoulder injuries which slow me down quite abit. I am working on getting more exercise. Mainly when the weather is nice, I need to just get outside more.

I try not to focus on it so much as to just figure out the calories BEFORE I put it in my mouth. Somehow finding out that a particular food happens to be over 600 a serving calories makes me not want it.

Put a scale in an obvious location in every room. That'll do the trick!

:flowerforyou:

With nutrition and exercise, I set small goals, and began by making small changes. I started with simply tracking what I ate. Then making a few swaps for things that were lower calorie and higher in nutrients, then cooking more meals at home, etc.... By incorporating positive changes in a little at a time, I was able to see results without feeling like I was overhauling my entire life and getting intimidated.

I focus on eating less calories and eating more fruits and veggies. The site has also helped me to stop eating so much fat. Heart disease and type 2 diabetes runs in my family, and I realized if I didn't start caring about what and how much I put into my body, I'd start having problems, too. I also focus on exercising more to get my heart pumping.

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Tell yourself it's not hard...

Yes, this is me. It isn't hard. It's manageable, it's fun, it's a challenge, it's achievable.

When I grocery shop, I buy healthy foods so that I always have something. When I am hungry, I am not going to go through the trouble of going back to the store just for one item. The other night, I had a dream abt pizza ( pitiful, i know) so for lunch I made my own with thin wheat bread and veggies and one serving of shredded cheese split between the two pieces. It was only 250 cals and i was close to full rather than satiated. I also have my diary open to the public so I feel as though I am being held accountable...never know who is watching. Works for me. I have to keep certain foods away until I can acquire more discipline. I know good and well that i won't eat just one serving of macaroni so way for now

Oh yeah, and once you make adjustments for maybe 3 weeks or so, you will notice that it becomes easier...just be patient with yourself and pay attn to serving sizes even if you have to measure everything. I just realized that before starting here, I was eating 2 -3 servings of EVERYTHING in one sitting!