Keeping a food diary is a very accurate way to establish your current eating habits. Start a full week before you plan to commence dieting. Write down everything you eat and drink (be honest!) throughout the day. Look at what you’ve written down, and after a few days you should be in a position to see where adjustments could be made.
Patently if your record shows a higher consumption of alcohol or fatty foods than you’d realised, you might begin by reducing those initially. If what you’re eating is mainly healthy, then maybe you’re just eating too much of it. Whichever one is closest to your situation, what’s in the diary will reveal a lot.
List the changes you plan to carry out over the next seven days. Include an eating plan, and the exercise you will take. Under the food heading, write a list of ‘banned’ foods, and ‘weekend only’ food. And then write down the food you can eat in generous amounts.
If you can’t imagine going without any beer or wine, then decide which two days you will permit yourself to have a maximum of two small glasses. Ban all sugary drinks. When it comes to exercising, commit to paper your intended regime, noting which days of the week you will be doing it.
Accurately weigh yourself the morning your regime starts. Repeat this procedure every week, and make adjustments if appropriate. And write down how heavy you are at the beginning of each week.
A plan such as this will allow you to manage your weight loss programme and adjust it to suit yourself. Your diary is a working document – make notes about how each day has gone. Don’t forget to be honest about how much exercise you’re taking. Write it all down! A diary is a very simple way to monitor your progress – and a remarkable tool for staying with the program!
However, this won’t give quick fix results. It will take a little time, but within a month you’ll start to feel more energised and maybe less out of breath. Try to exercise patience, and do persevere. Motivating yourself over a long period has it’s challenges – but if you concentrate on the prize instead of the price it becomes much easier.
If you do get demoralised with your results, analyse what’s been happening. It’s possible your programme needs some adjusting. Additional physical activity can help you catch up. A brisk walk several times a week can be done at any time of day.
Feel good about every pound you lose. Your efforts will be much more sustainable if you do. A whole new wardrobe isn’t a good idea until your desired weight is achieved. But you could spoil yourself with a pamper session when you reach a mini-goal.