Make it your own. Look at the diets you’ve tried in the past. What worked? What didn’t? If you hated counting calories on your last diet plan but loved the fact that it provided group support, try controlling calories instead by limiting your portion sizes and look for group assistance through an online weight loss support group that provides services to all dieters. In order to lose weight, you need to ensure that the calories you consume are fewer than those you burn.
Make a plan - Simply telling yourself “I am going to lose 20 pounds” is not enough. Creating a plan with SMART (simple, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely) objectives can provide you with a specific outline of the behaviors you will initiate to reach your goal. If you want to lose 20 pounds, you need to decrease the amount of energy you take in, increase the amount you burn, or, even better, do both. Your plan to lose 20 pounds might include objectives like “I will only eat lunch out one time per week” or “I will exercise on my treadmill for 20 minutes three times a week.”
Make sure you self-monitor - How do you know your plan is working? You need to self-monitor your progress. If you have decided to eat 1600 calories a day, keeping track of your intake in a food journal can help you determine if you are meeting that goal. If your goal is to lose 10 pounds in 3 months, frequent weighing will establish whether or not you are on track.
Make it easy on yourself - Change your environment so that eating healthy is easier. Fill your fridge and kitchen cupboards with healthy foods you know you enjoy. Toss out the ice cream, instead of letting it sit in the freezer tempting you every night. Replace your “candy drawer” at work with one filled with shelf stable fruits and high fiber granola bars.
Make room for mistakes - The key is to avoid the all or nothing thinking that usually accompanies a “diet.” This will lead to guilt and frustration as inevitably, nothing can be followed 100% all of the time. You want to acknowledge that small lapses are a part of the change process, and use them as tools that can teach you about your thoughts and behaviors and how to change them.
Make it lighter - The easiest way to cut back on calories is to replace some of your current food choices with their lower fat or fat free alternative. This allows you to continue eating the same foods and the same portions but reduces your total caloric intake.
Before joining Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic, Cari Coulter received her Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Miami University of Ohio. From Ohio, she traveled to New York where she completed the Didactic Program Coursework from New York University Graduate Program. She currently resides in the Greater Houston area and sees patients at the Sugar Land, Richmond and Katy Clinics.
Before joining Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic, Cari Coulter received her Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Miami University of Ohio. From Ohio, she traveled to New York where she completed the Didactic Program Coursework from New York University Graduate Program. She currently resides in the Greater Houston area and sees patients at the Sugar Land, Richmond and Katy Clinics.