How to Start a Diet and Stick to It

Article from nutrition.about.com

Choose the Best Diet for You.

The first thing you need to do is choose the diet that is easiest for you to follow. How do you choose the best diet? All diets require you to monitor your consumption of something. You need to count calories, carbs, fats, fiber or something. Which one is the easiest? That is really up to you.

You may also feel physically better following one diet over the others. Feeling healthy will help keep your willpower strong when you are faced with a dietary dilemma. If you really don't know which diet you would like best, you can always give a diet a two-week test drive. This way you can see how you feel and find out how easy the diet is to understand and follow. Remember to choose healthy foods, no matter which diet you choose.

Set Realistic Goals

Put some thought into why you are going on a diet. Are you trying to lose weight? Do you need to reduce your risk factors for chronic disease? Do you want to look good in a swimsuit? Maybe you had a heart attack and you want to do everything you can to see your grandchildren grow up.

Your goals are important to you, yet to be successful, you need to be realistic about how to set those goals. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to make huge changes over night. If it took you ten years to gain 50 pounds, don't pretend that you can lose 50 pounds in three months. You can, however lose five to 15 pounds in three months. Think along similar lines for changing from junk food to healthy food. If you eat a big bowl of ice cream and chocolate syrup every night after dinner, it might be tough to give that up completely and forever. Start with replacing that bowl of ice cream with a bowl of fresh berries two or three times per week. Keep your goals reasonable and you can have the fun of reaching them quickly and setting new ones

To be continued....