How to prepare for a diet not to lose motivation before you even begin?

When you want to lose weight, you usually start a diet, you follow it for a few days, a week or sometimes even a month. Eventually you lose your motivation and… you give up. You go back to your old habits and the kilograms you’ve lost quickly come back (often even more). You blame the wrong diet or lack of motivation for your failure. But the truth is (and studies confirm it) that if you prepare yourself properly before you start a diet, your motivation will increase during the process and will last longer.

So, do you want to go on a diet? Don’t rush into it. Take a deep breath, sit comfortably and prepare a plan! The better you prepare, the easier and more efficient it will be for you to change your old eating habits.

 

Start with making the decision

You think of going on a diet. You consider the options: visit a dietitian, ask a trainer or maybe use some application? The first step you have to make is to make the decision that you are going on a diet. You show the will to change – you want to lose weight, but think if you’re ready to introduce these changes into your life? 🙂 Remember that buying a subscription will not make you lose weight 🙂

 

Ask yourself the right question

Start by thinking (and it’s best to write it down on a piece of paper) what your reason for switching to a diet is. What is your goal? Do you want to achieve a certain number on the scales display? Or maybe you want your old jeans to fit? Perhaps you want to improve your health, have beautiful hair, strong nails and radiant complexion? Write down what your motivation is.  

 

Choose a diet that’s right for you

I have created a diet but I don’t like this word very much. I’m always for changing your habits. And you can achieve it with Diet by Ann. Are you always in a hurry? An app with a ready shopping list that you always have at your fingertips will work perfectly. The recipes come from my culinary experiments and are individually tailored to your needs. You can find more information about Diet by Ann here.

 

Prepare a list of benefits and dangers

Take a pen and a piece of paper again and divide it in half. On the left side write down all the benefits you can get by going on a diet. On the right side write down the dangers that might follow. Once you’ve finished, take a good look and see which side has more points. If it’s the one with benefits, then you’re definitely ready to go on a diet. But if there are more dangers on your list, hold on. Read carefully all the points on the right side of your chart and think about each point. What can you do to narrow them down?

 

Do you have time for a diet? Set your priorities!

You should think if it’s the right time before you go on a diet. Remember that at the beginning you are much more motivated to follow it but this first period is also a time to adapt. It requires some time to prepare food, time for shopping and meals. Although the app makes a lot of things easier, your existing life is going to change. You go beyond your comfort zone set by many years of habits. This requires additional mental strength. Therefore, you should take care of additional resources, such as sleep, rest, lack of other stress, a stable situation at home and at work, minor pleasures.

 

What is your goal?

Set one mail goal. Remember to make it realistic. Think what you want to achieve and in what time. Then divide this goal into smaller ones which you can achieve faster 🙂 Think what else is going to change in your life when you achieve your goal. Write down all the things that are going to change and how you will know that you’ve achieved the little goal. It doesn’t have to be about lost kilograms or centimeters. The goals can refer to other spheres in your life, but remember to verbalize them in a clear way to make them easily verifiable.

 

Believe you can do it and visualize your progress 🙂

Think positive! Remember that you are the expert on yourself. If you believe you can make it. that’s what’s going to happen! The use of visualization techniques is also very helpful in the process of changing habits. Research shows that it is more effective not to imagine achieving the goal, but using visualization to imagine the whole process. So, practice your imagination and start by imagining what the day will look like when you start your diet? Imagine specific activities, such as preparing breakfast, shopping for the whole week, exercises, etc.

 

Prepare to fight the weaker moments

Remember that at the beginning your motivation is high, but with time it may start to fall. There will be days when your thoughts focus on something else, because something stressful will happen eg at work. It is important that you prepare yourself for this moment. By preparing a remedial plan for the weaker moments, you will not give up your diet and will not return to your old habits.

 

Remember not to go on a diet suddenly, but do it consciously. Prepare for the diet by following the instructions above. Thanks to this, you will avoid frustration, and changing habits will be much easier and more enjoyable. Are you ready? Then let’s get on with it! Start with Diet by Ann!

 

Bibliography:

1. Elfhag K., Rossner S., Who succeeds in maintaining weight loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight loss maintenance and weight regain. Obesity Reviews 2005;6(1);67-85.
2. Jarczewska-Gerc E., Rola wyobrażeń w osiąganiu celów. Symulacje mentalne. Wydawnictwo Difin, 2015.
3. Jezierska-Kazberuk M., Zarządzanie zmianą masy ciała [w] Forum Zaburzeń Metabolicznych 2010;1(1):31-36.
4. Morawska E., Kulczycka K., Stychno E., Grochowski L., Kosicka B., Czynniki motywujące osoby otyłe w procesie odchudzania [w]  Probl Hig Epidemiol 2015, 96(1): 293-297.
5. Teixeira P.,Silva M., Mata J., Palmeira A., Markland D., Motivation, self-determination, and long-term weight control. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2012;9(22).
6. Zegan M., Michota-Katulska E., Jagodzińska E., Sińska B., Motywacja do odchudzania u osób z nadwagą i otyłością [w] Endokrynol. Otył. Zab. Przem. Mat 2010;6(2):85-92.