Tips to Live by

I don’t have a degree in nutrition, but I think I have a little insight into what works and doesn’t work in a diet. Maybe you will read this list and think “uh, duh?” but sometimes when cravings kick in and our bodies feel like they’re not our own, but some fat/carb/whatever craving monster, it’s easy to forget these tips.

Here’s a list of dieting rules I am going to do my best to follow.

1. You made the choice to eat this way- live it or forget it. I have gotten so frustrated listening to people whine about not being able to have this or that. You know what whiners? You MADE the CHOICE to eat/live whatever way you’re doing. Does it suck that you REALLY want a piece (or 3) of peanut butter cheesecake and your size 2 girlfriend can eat all of it she wants? Sure it sucks, but what are you going to do about it? Sabotage yourself over cheesecake and beat yourself up over it? No! Every day our lives are full of CHOICES that we must live with. Embrace the choice you made and don’t beat yourself up over things you have the CHOICE to not feel bad about.

2. Set yourself up for success. Sometimes, the choices we make, even subconsciously, are contradictory to what is best for us. Take responsibility for your diet and set yourself up for success. If you have a family who doesn’t eat what you eat, seperate their food from your food. Don’t let the chips and soda stare you down every time you go to the kitchen. Before going to the grocery store, get in your mind of what you want to prepare for yourself that will be on your plan and fulfilling and make a grocery list. Don’t go on auto-pilot to the grocery only realizing you only bought junk. I know it’s cliche, but “fail to plan, plan to fail.”

3. If you hit a speed bump, keep on’ rollin’. One thing I learned from quitting smoking is if you slip it’s ok. This does not have to derail all your hard effort.  If you have not smoked for 6 months but have one cigarette when you go out to drinks with friends are you going to let this stop you? No! Forgive yourself, and get back up on that wagon. If you’re driving and hit a speed bump, what do you do immediately after? Hit the gas! Do the same thing with your diet- you can’t move forward if you hit the bump and just sit there.

4. If you’re not doing it for yourself, you won’t be successful. There are so many reasons to want to lose weight. Appearance being the most obvious of them all. Maybe you think you’ll have more friends or you will be liked more. Whatever. If you’re not doing it for yourself, screw it. You have to have personal accountability. If you are internally motivated by true selfish reasons, you will find your path to success paved with gravel instead of boulders. If you’re motivated by external forces like the opposite sex or cute designer clothes, when times get hard, they’re easy to dismiss and move back into your old habits. On the other hand, if you’re motivated by your true desire to feel better about yourself or to not be winded after hauling your ass up a flight of stairs- those things are ones that run deep, and you can remind yourself of them every day.

5. Though your goal is to lose weight you still need to eat. I have watched many friends starve themselves under the guise of a “diet”. I don’t even mean the strange fad diets. I mean honestly not taking in enough calories. If your nutrition plan says you need to eat 1100 calories a day eat 1100 calories a day, or as close to as possible. You are not doing anyone any favors (especially yourself) by cutting that 1100 to 600. This is just as bad for you as being overweight (if not worse). Bodies need sustenance to function. Just remember you are losing weight to feel better. Are you going to feel better if your body is not getting what it needs to function? I don’t think so.