Psyching Up

I ran across this article about psyching yourself up before starting your diet and it made so much sense to me.  I think it helps me understand why I'm having such a hard time keeping my diet going.

1.  Once you've decided to start dieting, you won't want to wait too long to get started, but try to give yourself at least a week to get ready.  (I didn't do this!  I started the next day)

2.  Spend some time thinking about how you got overweight.  By understanding your problem, you'll be best able to determine an appropriate dieting plan.  (When I read this I had to stop and think about why I gained weight.  My main reason was because I quit smoking, which was a great thing to do but the habit of putting something into my mouth continued, just not with cigarettes.)

3.  Forget about miracles and realize that you'll be giving up instant gratification in foods that make you gain weight for long-term gratification in being thin, in having a new body and a new life.  (I fell for some of the miracles.  I even spent a small fortune on NutriSystem.  They worked as long as I ate their foods but when I tried to quit, so did my dieting.  I didn't learn anything about how dieting really worked.  I even tried some of the 'super duper pills' that are supposed to help curb your appetite.  They don't teach you anything either.  You have to LEARN how to eat and how to control your own life.)

4.  If you are to succeed, you'll need commitment to whatever diet you choose, confidence in yourself and patience to wait for results.  (Commitment is SO important.  But you have to do a little more than just commit.  You must make the diet fun.  Doing the same thing day-in-day-out will get boring and you'll end up finding yourself giving up.  Try different foods.  Try different recipes.  Teach yourself how and what to eat while enjoying it along the way.)