- #HOW TO KEEP ON TRACK WITH WEIGHT LOSS GOAL HOW TO#
- #HOW TO KEEP ON TRACK WITH WEIGHT LOSS GOAL PLUS#
If emotional or stress eating is your Achilles’ heel, try the following tips to sideline this habit.
Make a habit of pinpointing your location on the hunger scale before you eat. The clearer you can be about what’s true hunger versus stress eating, the better you’ll be able to manage your caloric intake. Misreading hunger signals can lead to danger zones in your diet. It’ll help you avoid getting to the point where you are starving and will wolf down anything within reach. She recommends using a “hunger scale” as a way to learn mindful eating.Ī hunger scale determines the appetite level. Kerkenbush says many people have little connection to distinguishing true hunger signals versus stress or boredom eating. The tools you’ll acquire will help you for the rest of your life.
#HOW TO KEEP ON TRACK WITH WEIGHT LOSS GOAL HOW TO#
If you struggle with these issues, consider working with a therapist to learn how to turn off your negative thinking. If you were told to never leave food on your plate or throw it away, think about what’s more important-your health or dumping excess food in the trash. She also encourages letting go of any guilt associated with eating. Kerkenbush recommends avoiding situations and people who shame or sabotage your efforts. Poor body image and negative thinking are the banes of dieting. Low self-esteem can be a driving factor for many people who struggle with their weight. It’s a great way to make fitness more fun, and you can provide support and motivation for each other. This way you have someone to talk with when you’re feeling discouraged and join you for exercise sessions. Include weekly rewards that will motivate you, and ask a friend to be your diet buddy. Think about how you’re motivated, and set up rewards (non-food) that help you stay on track. Keep these reasons in the forefront of your mind throughout your diet. Hone your inner motivation.Īsk yourself why you want to lose weight. Then make positive changes to stay on track. If you run into problems with staying true to your commitment-maybe you discover that your diet is unrealistic to your lifestyle-take the time to examine why. The most successful ways to stay committed are by setting achievable goals, developing action plans for reaching them, and focusing on each day instead of what’s ahead.īe 100 percent committed to your goals, so there’s no indecision about what you want to accomplish. Commitment requires focus, energy (mental and physical), and strategy,” Kerkenbush says. “Losing weight is a long-term commitment, and quick fixes won’t stick. Part of your strategizing should include how you’ll budget the time each day to fit in your action plans.Īaptiv knows how busy you are and offers effective workouts that are as short as 10 minutes, so that you can fit in exercises anytime, anywhere. Remember, it takes time to accomplish goals. For example, committing to adding 30 minutes of exercise a day and swapping out sugary soda for water as ways of staying within your daily caloric limit. Kerkenbush suggests thinking about the process of achieving your goals.
#HOW TO KEEP ON TRACK WITH WEIGHT LOSS GOAL PLUS#
Your goals need action plans, so take the time to sit down and list what you’d like to achieve with your diet, plus doable strategies. Over time your metabolism may be reset at a lower level, making it increasingly difficult to lose weight. A pound of fat consists of 3,500 calories, so trying to lose more than a couple pounds each week isn’t doable without extreme calorie reduction.Īvoid trying to maintain very low caloric intake levels. Make that weekly loss your focus, not the total amount you want to lose.
As an example, Kerkenbush tells her clients to plan for one to two pounds of weight loss a week. If your goals will take months to reach, you may become discouraged and find it hard to stay on track. You’ll stay more motivated if you establish short-term milestones that help you make progress. Kerkenbush encourages her clients to set realistic, specific goals. When consulting with her weight loss clients, Becky Kerkenbush, R.D., media representative for the Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says there are fundamental principal points for successfully losing weight and setting the stage for positive lifestyle changes. Check out all the classes and programs we offer to get started today!
Your job before starting a diet is to think about how you’re motivated, your emotional pitfalls, and the strategies that’ll help keep you mentally strong and committed to your goals. Think of your diet as a dress rehearsal for a new way of eating. You wouldn’t run a marathon without training for it, and the same logic can be applied to embarking on a weight loss routine.Ī crucial component for weight loss success is mentally preparing for the changes to come.