How to make your diet stick

Posted on 1:50pm Thursday 22nd Feb 2018

When it comes to dieting, there's one thing that you're likely to hear over and over more often than just about anything else: "I just can't stick to it!" In fact, you may have even said this yourself. It's incredibly common that people will start a diet with the best possible intentions and then find themselves slipping after just a few months, if not even sooner. But why does this happen? And is it really possible to find a diet that sticks? Well, the answer is a resounding yes! There are always things that you can do in order to make your diet stick; it's just that they're not necessarily going to be as easy and simple as you might like. However, even if dieting is always going to be something of a challenge, here are just a few things that you can do in order to stick to it and keep yourself motivated so that you can see some genuine results.

Find a lifestyle diet that works for you

When someone is "on a diet", they far too often forget to think about whether or not that diet is right for them. Not all diets are created equal, and they are certainly not going to have the same impact on every single person. Everyone's body is different, and they are all going to have different ways that they react to different diets. This means that the very best thing that you can do is to do as much research as possible so that you don't end up picking a diet that's not going to work for you. Look up different diets and the kinds of effects that they offer, check their reviews and try to figure out for yourself which diets work best for the results that you're trying to achieve. Sure, there might be a little bit of trial and error at play, but the truth is that the chances of you finding the perfect diet for you first time are pretty slim. Don't forget that a strict set diet might not be right for you. Maybe you'll have to adapt it to suit your needs. Maybe you like the idea of Veganism, but you still want to eat eggs? Why not just go meat and dairy free if that works better nutritionally and morally for you? So long as you're making healthier choices that are better for your body, then who's to judge.

Set yourself clear goals

One of the biggest mistakes that a lot of people tend to make is that they fall into the trap of starting a diet without actually having a clear goal in mind. If you don't know what kind of results you're after, then you're much more likely to end up in a position where you feel discouraged and lacking in motivation. The best thing to do is to set yourself a clear, achievable goal to strive towards. That second word is incredibly important and often gets ignored even by those who do want to set themselves clear goals. If the goals that you set aren't realistic, then you're just going to end up getting discouraged and frustrated, something that is almost certainly going to lead you to give up. As much as it would be nice to set yourself a seriously ambitious goal, you've got to remember that these things take time and setting yourself a goal that's too far away is just going to end up in frustration. Remember, there you can always just set yourself a new goal once you reach the one that you've already set for yourself. Also remember this should be a healthier lifestyle diet. Most diets fail as people significantly change their eating habits for say a week to a month, then once they've lost the weight they return to old habits. No wonder the weight always goes back on.

Combine it with a healthy lifestyle

Of course, just eating better isn't going to magically make you lose weight and look however you want. Sure, it's going to be a huge help, but one of the things that far too many people forget is that your diet isn't going to be worth anything if you're not able to combine it with a healthy lifestyle. Exercise might not be your favourite thing in the world, but it's an incredibly important part of getting in shape. If you're not really a gym kind of person then don't worry, there are still plenty of options available to you. Even something as simple as taking a jog around the block a couple of times a week can make a huge difference. Not only is it going to help to amplify the results that you're seeing from your diet, but you'll end up feeling much better and more active because of it as well! Being able to combine both diet and exercise together is a fantastic way to not only increase the results but keep your motivation levels as high as possible. You'll feel better and look better in no time.

Get some support

One of the things that makes a lot of people give up on their diets is the fact that it's incredibly easy to make excuses when you're the only person around to hold you accountable. After all, you can convince yourself of just about anything. Being able to say that you can skip out on a gym session or have a few extra snacks is easy when you only have yourself to convince. However, if you're dieting and working out with someone else in your life then it's going to be a whole lot more difficult to make any excuses. Not only can getting the support of the people around you make it that much harder for you to cheat or give up on your diet, but it can make the whole process a whole lot less isolating and a lot more fun as well. Whether it's a friend, family member, or even a personal trainer, there's nothing better than having someone in your corner, cheering you on every step of the way.

Final word

Here's the harsh truth that a lot of people would much rather you never heard: there is no secret to dieting. It would be great to be able to say that all you needed was this one specific thing and all of your dieting worries would disappear completely, but that's just not the way things are. In reality, dieting is a combination of hard work and dedication. There's no magic pill or switch you can flick that will take the hard work out of dieting. You just have to be willing to stick to it, even when things get tough and you feel yourself wanting to quit. If you're able to do that, then there's nothing that can stop you.

One of my favourite sayings is 'where there's a will there's a way, if not there's just an excuse'. If you really want it, you'll do it.