7 Ways To Stay Motivated on a Healthy Diet

3. Set Reasonable Goals, Keeping your Long Term Goal in Mind

No matter your personality type, achieving a goal and feeling that flush of success can be a strong motivational tool. That is why setting reasonable goals that are easier to achieve is so important when it comes to changing your diet. Small successes along the way can serve to propel you forward to your ultimate goal.

Keep a journal and take pictures along the way. Every time you feel excited when you complete a goal, write and share how you feel. Also, write down your prayers, emotions, and fears. This will be very powerful to go back and read when you have moments of discouragement. Every small success is still impressive. Success can be a powerful motivator to stay focused on the larger goal of cutting out the food that is affecting your weight, mood, and health.

4. Incorporate It Into Your Lifestyle

If you begin a new diet with the mindset that it is something that has to be endured until it is over, like a prison sentence, you’re much more likely to lose motivation. Making less severe lifestyle changes is easier to live with and can help you stick with it for the long haul. For example, using less and less sugar in a morning cup of coffee is easier to achieve over time, rather than going cold turkey from one day to the next. Small lifestyle changes can add to an abundance of health benefits and can be almost effortless.

5. Take It Seriously

Having a friend or “new diet buddy” to encourage you, commiserate with or just compare notes can make all the difference in maintaining motivation. Accountability can be a strong motivating factor, which is why diet programs that entail high accountability activities, such as weekly weigh-ins, are often very successful. If you don’t have a friend who is intent on a healthier lifestyle, there are many apps that will allow you to keep a daily journal of your progress and keeps track of your weight loss. Adding the motivation of daily or weekly accountability can often compel you to stick to your goals!

6. Don’t Take It So Seriously

While some personality types may benefit from intense structure and accountability, these same methods for success may be a source of too much pressure and drive others away. If less structure resonates with your personality type, set smaller goals that are easier to attain and reward yourself when you reach them. While it may seem counter-intuitive, taking a diet less seriously can actually contribute to your ultimate success, because it doesn’t become a source of overwhelming guilt if you have the occasional setback.

7. Cut Yourself Some Slack!

Expect that you’ll have failures. Attending a party with crème brûlée on the menu might be a personal dieting disaster. But don’t beat yourself up if you give in to temptation occasionally. Just get right back into your mode the next day and continue toward your goals. A desert or splurge is not a cause for guilt; just don’t make a habit out of it, or your motivation will fly right out the window.

A new diet is a journey where every step along the way, however small, contributes to the success. Keep yourself motivated, read, set a realistic plan that harmonizes with your personality, and reward yourself for small successes along the way. Immediately your total health will become a life-long commitment, rather than something that must be endured until the diet is over.

To learn more, listen to the CV Podcast: The Big Picture: The Keys To Good Health & Longevity