Want to stick to your diet? Meal plan
We all know that once you’ve decided on a diet — and then finally take action and start implementing the diet — you can stick to it for a few days or a few meals. But, then, prematurely, you find yourself cheating on the diet out of convenience or boredom, or whatever. If you have healthy, nutritious food available at all times, for any snacking occasion or a convenient “ready to heat” meal, you’ll more likely stick to your diet. Why? Because you make it easier to stick to your diet by presenting convenient (and tasty) options that are healthy and ready to handle any impulse.
One of the best ways to make sure you stick to your diet is by meal prepping or planning. Planning ahead for your meals means that you can control what goes into your body and how much of it you're consuming. When you have a plan, you're less likely to make unhealthy choices and more likely to stick to eating healthy foods.
So how can you start planning your meals around your new diet? Starting new things can be daunting, and you might not know where to even start. The best first step is; finding recipes! Look up recipes for your diet, and plan out your meals for the next week. It is very important to find as many recipes as you can, because variation is important! If you keep eating the same boring diet meals over and over, day after day, you will lose motivation and want to give in to your impulses to stray away from your diet. But if you are trying new and tasty meals that work with your diet every day, you will find that dieting can actually be quite exciting!
Another essential trick to stick with your diet is to plan healthy snacks! When you get hungry between meals, it's very easy to give into temptation and snack on unhealthy foods. But if you have healthy snacks prepared ahead of time, you can avoid unhealthy snacking and stay on track with your diet. Some great healthy snack ideas include; fruits and vegetables, whole grain crackers, or protein bars. The best way to keep unhealthy foods out of your grasp is to do a fresh reset on your pantry. If you can afford to do so, throw away or donate your junk snack foods, and replace them with healthy foods. That way when you get those cravings for a snack, all you have is healthy snacks. You'll find that these healthier snack options are more filling as well! When you eat whole foods, you won't find yourself going back to the pantry every couple of minutes to grab some more.
Another great tip for success is to not beat yourself up if you slip up sometimes. We've all been there before, you're three weeks into your new diet, things are going well, you haven't had any junk food and you're feeling great! But you drive by a McDonald's and think “oh jeez a burger sounds nice right about now.” Do not worry, this isn't the end of the world! Having an “all-or-nothing” approach to dieting is a terrible way of thinking. Don't let these three weeks go to waste, ad jump right back on that horse! Everybody slips up sometimes, but you can always go right back into your diet and forget about that burger.
If you want to stick to your diet, it is important to have a plan and find recipes that you enjoy. You should also make sure to have healthy snacks prepared ahead of time to avoid unhealthy snacking. Lastly, do not beat yourself up if you have a slip-up every once in a while, we all do! Just get back on track and don't let it ruin all your progress.
