Post by Teresa on Aug 21, 2009 14:13:56 GMT -8
This tip comes from Jackie Wicks of peertrainer on how to first get started on a diet. It is so simple and so good that I just had to pass it on to you:
"Choose one goal for the next seven days. Make it something that you know trips you up. Maybe it is the cookies at work, or maybe it is late night eating after midnight. Choose just that one thing to work on for the next seven days -- then actually work on it." Write it down, and then each day write down how you did on it. If your goal is "No chocolate", then each day write it down: "day 1: succeeded...no chocolate." "Day 2: succeeded... no chocolate." etc.
Don't try to solve everything that is wrong with your diet, just choose one that you know will have big returns. For me (teresa), it was cutting back on cheese. I was eating 6 to 8 ounces of cheese most days, which is 660 to 880 calories a day. The instant I read Jackie's suggestion to choose one thing that trips me up, I knew it was cheese for me. I couldn't see myself eliminating it completely from my diet, so I set a goal to cut back to no more than 2 ounces of cheese a day. Well, days one and two, I had my full 2 allowed ounces of cheese. Then I started having less...1 ounce on some days and on a few days I did not have any cheese at all. That one change saved me over 500 calories a day (which is 3500 calories a week or a whole pound.) It was much easier to choose just one thing with "big payback" to work on than to try and change everything.
By the way, since that week ended, I hardly have cheese at all..maybe one ounce 3 or 4 times a week. It really paid off big time for me to make this one simple change, so I keep it as a long term change instead of just for 1 week.
Anyhow, start thinking about that one thing that really trips you up. Start seeing yourself overcoming it for 'just one week'. And then write it down and set a goal... you must might be amazed at how well that works out.
"Choose one goal for the next seven days. Make it something that you know trips you up. Maybe it is the cookies at work, or maybe it is late night eating after midnight. Choose just that one thing to work on for the next seven days -- then actually work on it." Write it down, and then each day write down how you did on it. If your goal is "No chocolate", then each day write it down: "day 1: succeeded...no chocolate." "Day 2: succeeded... no chocolate." etc.
Don't try to solve everything that is wrong with your diet, just choose one that you know will have big returns. For me (teresa), it was cutting back on cheese. I was eating 6 to 8 ounces of cheese most days, which is 660 to 880 calories a day. The instant I read Jackie's suggestion to choose one thing that trips me up, I knew it was cheese for me. I couldn't see myself eliminating it completely from my diet, so I set a goal to cut back to no more than 2 ounces of cheese a day. Well, days one and two, I had my full 2 allowed ounces of cheese. Then I started having less...1 ounce on some days and on a few days I did not have any cheese at all. That one change saved me over 500 calories a day (which is 3500 calories a week or a whole pound.) It was much easier to choose just one thing with "big payback" to work on than to try and change everything.
By the way, since that week ended, I hardly have cheese at all..maybe one ounce 3 or 4 times a week. It really paid off big time for me to make this one simple change, so I keep it as a long term change instead of just for 1 week.
Anyhow, start thinking about that one thing that really trips you up. Start seeing yourself overcoming it for 'just one week'. And then write it down and set a goal... you must might be amazed at how well that works out.