[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by roseylovestosho

To be completely honest, I wouldn't wait for a specific date (Jan 1st) to start. Usually, people tend to gorge themselves thinking "okay well I'm going on a diet on such date so I'm going to have my last...pizza, ice cream etc." All this does is add an extra couple pounds that then you have to lose starting January...IMHO I would start with your next meal. That's how I lost 20lbs and I've kept it off. It's really hard ...I was raised to eat everything I want and whatever time...and I absolutely LOVE food...especially deserts...Either way what helps me is to designate one cheat day. One day where you eat your favorite meal, have your cookies, etc...of course a lot of times cravings kick in...if you love sweets DO NOT buy a tub of ice cream and think you have enough self control to not eat more...this is often a mistake...I make that mistake ALL the time...you can buy those weight watches SMART ONES deserts that I absolutely love as an example, the goal is to not buy more than two servings worth because you'll just end up eating more than you intend to...Also not all fast food is bad! If you love your fast food taco bell is a wonderful option...of course not EVERYTHING on their menu is healthy but a couple of tacos are great and can curb your cravings! I think the big mistake everyone makes when starting a diet (just like I did) is that you try to COMPLETELY change your lifestyle in one day and that is just not feasible. If you need to start with one meal a day that is healthy or two and work your way up. There are a lot of healthy yummy deserts and even though frozen dinners aren't that tasty for those that know how to cook...I like to have a couple just in case I don't have time, and they are wonderful because when you run out of time and don't feel like cooking THAT is when the cravings kick in and you are most likely to go get fast food or order a pizza...this is why it is extremely important to PLAN ahead. Plan your meals and even plan for the days you are the most likely to be stressed and reach for bad food....knowing when you are your weakest and acknowledging it will help you move forward and stay on track. Also, for those who are planning on exercising, I would strongly consider working out in the morning. Not only does it give you a great jumpstart on your day, but personally it also redirects all of my cravings because I sit there thinking "Do I really want a piece of cheescake? That's a 5 mile run to burn off the calories and I only ran 2 today and I was exhausted!" Writing down how many calories you burned during exercise, and the calories you are consuming also helps regulate what you put in your mouth. Things like juice quickly pack on the calories (for example a glass of orange juice is approximately 100 calories which is a mile run at a moderate pace) and your morning latte from starbucks is also extremely high in calories. Opt for a tall skinny vanilla latte for example, which only has 90 calories. Either way, I'm sorry for rambling, I just struggle with food every day and I understand how difficult it is to keep an exercise routine AND eat healthy. Exercising speeds up your metabolism, but it also makes you more hungry so you have to be careful that you do not eat junk because otherwise this will have no effect. Eating healthy is probably one of the MOST important components of keeping a healthy lifestyle and weightloss...oh yeah and stay away from anything with granola in it...really high in calories and sugar not at all healthy!!

Hope I've helped someone, and not put everyone to sleep!

Lots of great realistic tips that people can actually live with!