8 Diet Motivation Tips for Success

Monday blues?  Here are some easy to follow diet motivation tips to get you back to feeling your best. 

Can't lose weight? Try these diet motivation tips for success.

If you've dropped and regained so many pounds it would take a Harvard PhD to do the math, then here are some diet motivation tips that can help.

Sure, you've tried to diet before. You've gotten rid of the cookies in the cupboard, and virtuously refused the cake at the office party. And then, a few weeks into it, your motivation begins to flag. Maybe you hit a plateau in your weight loss, or you're bored with steamed vegetables for dinner night after night, or, tempted by a special dessert, you decide that just this once can't hurt. A few slip-ups and you're totally derailed, physically and emotionally.

If this isn't the first time that losing weight was one of your New Year's resolutions, then maybe you just haven't had the right diet motivation. It turns out that the key to losing and keeping weight off isn't simply a matter of what you eat or how much you exercise - it's your attitude. Lasting weight loss is a slow process and it's all too easy to give up before you reach your goal. With the right psychological tools your chances of diet success can be greatly improved. WebMD consulted experts for diet motivation tips that will keep you, and your diet, on the winning track to losing.

Diet Motivation Tip 1: Set Realistic Goals for Diet Success 

The first step to maintaining your mojo should take place before you cut a single calorie. In fact, one of the strongest predictors of long-term diet success lies in setting the right goal at the start. "If you set unattainable goals, such as losing 30 pounds in just a few months, you're setting yourself up to fail," says Ann Kulze, MD, author of Dr. Ann's 10-Step Diet: A Simple Plan for Permanent Weight Loss and Lifelong Vitality. Instead, you'll be more likely to stick with a diet if you "focus on your health and create sensible eating strategies," says Kulze. Setting smaller, attainable benchmarks, like losing 5 pounds or a single dress size, will give you the confidence to continue.

Diet Motivation Tip 2: Go Slow 

Diet success entails making real lifestyle changes, and that doesn't happen overnight. "You have a better chance at keeping the weight off if you lose it slowly. People who are starving get irritable and have a higher failure rate," Kulze tells WebMD. "If you cut back 200 calories a day, you won't even realize it and the weight will come off and stay off." If you keep in mind that optimal weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds a week, you'll be less frustrated

Diet Motivation Tip 3: Expect Setbacks 

Everyone is bound to give in to temptation (hello, hot fudge sundae) from time to time. The danger isn't a single splurge but letting it become an excuse for an all-out binge. Call it the "I've already blown it so I might as well eat the entire bag of Oreos" syndrome.

Diet Motivation Tip 4: Don't Be a Perfectionist 

So what do you do if you've scarfed down a pint of ice cream before noon? "Perfectionist thinking gets in the way of success more than anything I know," according to Vicki Saunders, RD, who oversees the inpatient weight loss and lifestyle program called Transformations at St. Helena Hospital in Napa, Calif. "A 100-calorie indulgence is just that. But if it's perceived as a failure and a reason to give up, it can turn into a thousand-calorie indulgence." Bottom line when you slip up: Forget about it. Tomorrow is a new (healthier) day.

Diet Motivation Tip 5: Use the Buddy System 

"It's hard to make major lifestyle changes when you're swimming upstream by yourself," says Saunders. Finding other people with similar goals can greatly improve yours odds of diet success. When your spirit - or willpower - flags, having people to call on can provide the support you need to continue. Saunders recommends looking for people at your local gym or Y, Overeaters Anonymous, or an online support group. "Having a support group to turn to, whether it's your family or people in a weight-loss chat room, can make all the difference" for diet success.

Diet Motivation Tip 6: Be Patient 

One of the biggest diet motivation-busters is the dreaded weight loss plateau. You've been doing everything right, exercising and eating well, and the numbers on the scale have been steadily dropping. Then suddenly: nada. The scale stays stuck for several days in a row. According to Ann Kulze, this is perfectly normal. "Turn it around and congratulate yourself on the diet success you've had so far," she urges. "This is a natural part of the weight loss process." When you hit the plateau, you may want to try something slightly different to jump-start your diet. "Commit yourself to expending an extra 100 calories a day with walking, for instance," Kulze advises. "And look honestly to see if you're backsliding in little ways with your eating." A few minor adjustments and you'll soon be back on course.

Diet Motivation Tip 7: Reward Yourself 

Dieting is hard work -- and it's not always a whole lot of fun. Small rewards can provide an incentive to keep going. But make sure your rewards are not food-related. (Translation: Rewarding yourself for losing 5 pounds with a box of chocolates is not what we're talking about.) Set mini-goals along the way and reward yourself when you reach them. Your reward could be a massage, a round of golf, a new pair of jeans, or a hot bubble bath. "Celebrating your diet success will fortify your resolve to continue," says Kulze.


Diet Motivation Tip 8: Have a Maintenance Plan 

For many people, losing weight is far easier than keeping it off. It's important to remember that healthy eating is a lifelong goal, not a one-time project. If this has been a problem for you in the past, devise a maintenance strategy ahead of time. Vicki Saunders says you may want to consult an expert to help create a diet or exercise plan that works for you. "Plan an appointment with a professional, whether it's a nutritionist, a counselor, or a trainer, for an added boost," she says. An expert can help you get off on the right foot -- and maintain your healthy habits even after you've reached your ideal weight.

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Why Wait Until Monday?

Like many of us I've been in the position on a Tuesday or a Wednesday where I miss a workout or eat a piece of cake I wasn't planning on. As the surge of guilt runs through me, I quickly brush it aside with "It's okay, I'll start again on Monday." I'm as guilty of this as everyone else, and am glad to see I’m not alone – it’s quite amusing to hear many of my friends use the same excuse, as they casually stuff an Oreo in their mouth. In fact, when you’re trying to eat healthy (or follow a diet), I think it’s written somewhere that the #1 excuse or justification is always the “I’ll wait until Monday” approach.

My question is, why? Why do we put off our lives for "Mondays"

or "Next Week" for that matter?  

So you ate a piece of cake and are feeling guilty; instead of then excusing the rest of the week as a “lost cause”, instead focus on your next opportunity to make the right decision. Just do better your next meal. Logically if on Wednesday you make a bad food choice or don't exercise wouldn't it make more sense to pick up the next meal and do better and exercise the NEXT day and still have a solid week instead of putting off until Monday? Throwing away Wednesday-Sunday because a slip up on Tuesday or Wednesday isn't going to get you the results you want. Why waste away today for tomorrow? Moreover, many times, when we use the Monday excuse, we then make it “okay” to cheat, or slip into bad habits until that Monday rolls around. So not only are we holding ourselves back, we’re actually giving ourselves permission to make wrong choices for the rest of the week!

There’s a fact in this new lifestyle. We're all imperfect and there will be days that come up that are harder than most (either regarding food or workouts), but instead of sulking and reaching for the tub of Ben & Jerry's, give yourself credit for doing the best you can each day and try better the next meal instead of putting it off until "next Monday". You owe it to yourself to not put off the better you a single day longer than you have to!

To be honest when my husband asked if I was going to write this post I even said, "I'll get to it Monday". Let the irony wash over you on that one. Good thing my husband gave me that extra nudge I needed. Do the best you can each and every day. Tell your friends, your family, your co-workers. Find the extra support you need to keep you accountable EACH day and if they ever hear you say the words, "I'll start again on Monday", give them permission to slap you. Okay, maybe just remind you. Unless you’re Drew. I will always retain that right!

By Lynn Manning