Whatever your goal may be, losing weight or just sticking to a more healthy diet there are obstacles to make you either give up or just make it hard to achieve results. When dieting you have so many things working against you. It’s hard to break from bad habits and implement a healthier way of life. These tips can work in several situations. Even if you try to quit smoking, lose weight, stay healthy, or implement a new training regime. Our bodies are influenced by our habits. And our habits can be hard to give up on.

In every part of life when you are trying to do something new our minds are programmed to remind us about what we are trained to do. Habits that we make each day over a long period are hard to change into new ones. Our bodies remember and are accustomed to reacting to new things and ways of life by trying to break free and come back to what we know best. So I have learned that the mind is a powerful thing. And for you to stick to changes in your life you need to learn how to trick your mind. You need to learn how to train your mind and body to acquire new habits and new ways of doing things. Don’t be afraid of failure. Most of us don’t succeed on the first try. The important thing is not to give up and keep trying.

Plan your meals

This is especially important for dieting. Whether you want to try keto, low-carb, intermittent fasting, or any other diet it’s important to plan your meals in advance. What are you going to eat for a couple of days in advance for breakfast, lunch dinner, and snacks? Then shop accordingly. Have all the ingredients prepared and ready to cook. This will make all the difference you need. And especially plan for healthy things you will eat in between meals. Make sure to decide what is your go-to food when you just want to have a snack. It can be fruits, nuts, smoothies, or salads but have them at hand so you don’t force yourself to reach for something less healthy.

The worst thing that happens is when you are on your diet and don’t know what to eat. That is the sensitive time when your hunger makes you reach for anything available. So many people will fail their diet because they didn’t think in advance and when they are hungry the only thing they can think about is eating. You don’t have to have your meals at specific times. My advice to you is to always eat when you are hungry but be careful what you eat. Make a list of ingredients and food that you enjoy having and that fit into your diet regime and then enjoy eating them.

Motivation

The most popular motivation behind dieting is losing weight. But that thought alone will not make you strong enough when cravings come to knock on your door. Make your motivation more personal. Why do you need to lose weight? Are you doing it to fit into your old jeans? Is the reason for more health concerns? Are you trying to be more healthy? What makes you so unhappy or just frustrated with your condition now so that you are doing this challenge?

Have this constant motivation on your mind each time when you think about having that piece of chocolate or a bowl of ice cream. Each time when you want to order a pizza or skip a training regime remind yourself what you are trying to accomplish. But the real reason. The reason that you believe that accomplishing it will make you happier, will make your goal worth all the stress and sweating. Be honest with yourself. Take some time to think about your goals and how reaching them could positively affect your life. Think about how happy you will be when the goal is reached and let that thought course through your mind in those moments when you feel weak and want to give up. As I said your mind is a powerful thing. So project some positivity into it and imagine the day when you will feel accomplished and happy. Those thoughts will give you strength and you will feel so much better when the cravings are gone and you have not succumbed to them.

Allow yourself mistakes

There will be mistakes. No questions about it. But it’s how you deal with them that counts. Don’t give up. There will be days, especially for us women when we will not be able to control ourselves from eating a lot of bad food. Especially during your menstrual cycles, there are times when you just can’t stop eating. That is completely normal. So my advice to you is to eat. To fight against your hormones and your mind will be a losing battle. So allow yourself one day a month. The day when you will surrender to your cravings and stop thinking about all the things you shouldn’t eat.

But even with this, you can do it smartly. Choose your favorite snacks, be it chocolate or chips. cookies or cake. Make them in small portions and eat only one at a time. The rest of them are put in a far place across the room. Or if you are in your living room leave them in the kitchen. That way you will have to walk all the way back to have another one. Each time you have one, stop at least 10 minutes before you allow yourself another one. This little trick will make you full faster. And instead of eating a lot, you will realize that you are full after only a couple of snacks. It’s how our mind works. If we give it time it will signal to our body that we are full well before we eat too much. But after that one day get back to your motivation and keep to your diet or a training regime. You will feel good because your failure lasted only one day and also because you didn’t eat as much bad food as before.

Understanding your bad habits

This advice helped me a lot to quit smoking and stop eating too many sweets. I think it’s one thing that could make a difference in a successful diet. Sometimes we do things without thinking if we do them for a long time. For example, when watching tv we snack, when drinking coffee we smoke, and we like to have something sweet after a meal. These are our habits. We created them until our minds started repeating them like clockwork. So when we do these things watching tv, drinking coffee, or having a meal our mind is expecting to continue doing things that are connected with them.

You can only quit these habits if you avoid doing things that lead to bad habits. Yes, you can watch a movie but not lie on your sofa with a soft blanket. Watch a movie while you are doing exercise, ironing, or folding laundry. When I was quitting smoking I stopped drinking coffee until I felt comfortable to drink it again without thinking about cigarettes. After a meal do not give yourself time to think about eating something sweet. Distract your brain by taking a walk straight after a meal or if that is not possible you can always start doing the dishes. Identify for yourself these situations that lead to cravings that you have programmed yourself into. And when you have identified them you need to avoid them completely for at least a couple of months until you are strong enough to enjoy them again.

Stop measuring things

We all love to see improvement. When you are on your diet you want to weigh yourself each day or at least each week to check your progress. But this could be a two-edged sword. What if you are not happy with it? it could demotivate you. We all show progress in different ways and some people take longer and some shorter time to achieve it. It also differs with age and the time you can dedicate to exercise. Don’t believe what you see online when you read training regimes that guarantee flat bellies in two weeks or a month. Don’t measure your success by numbers.

The only thing you need is persistence and the results will come. Instead of weighing yourself try to put on some old clothes but only after a month or two. Instead of counting inches off your waist check how long you can exercise for after 1 month on the regime. Push yourself each week to exercise for longer times and you will notice your body becoming stronger and your exercise will not be as hard as in the beginning. And if something is becoming too easy it’s time to change your exercise from a beginner to something a little harder. There will be enough time to check how much you have lost. But the point of your challenge is not about numbers. It’s about feeling better and being healthier. So as long as you reach that goal no matter how long it takes you, that’s the only thing that matters. Stop stressing about numbers and start enjoying your journey.

Make things simple

Don’t put too many restrictions on yourself from the beginning. This is the number one thing that will make you give up. If you list so many ingredients that you are not allowed to eat on your new diet that in itself will be demotivating. You don’t have to follow everything. Choose the top things that you believe are your priorities. Top three unhealthy things that you believe if you stop doing them could make the largest impact and move forward.

It’s the same thing with exercise. Don’t sign yourself up for an hour of training straight in the beginning. If you can manage 20 minutes on your first day is great. Don’t train every day, but try to train 3 times a week. And each week you train try to challenge yourself to go for 5 minutes longer. Same with your diet, prioritize areas on your body that you want to deal with first. Legs, belly, arms, of course, you will exercise it all but pay special attention to areas where you want to get in shape first. If you have to skip a couple of training sessions in the beginning because of sore muscles do it. Training is not supposed to hurt and make you sore. Take a couple of days break and then start again when your muscles are not longer hurt.

Whatever you do if you don’t like it try something else. There is so much information out there and I’m sure you can find a training regime that will fit your needs. Think about what you don’t like in training. Maybe you don’t want to jump or do squats or yoga is too boring. Look for something else that will suit you better. I’m sure if you find the one that you enjoy and look forward to doing the results will come. And when you reach one goal you can start another one. Just remember to make it simple and make your expectations realistic. Give yourself time and have fun doing things. Don’t starve yourself and be happy.

Stop making excuses

Almost everybody is convinced that a healthy diet is expensive. We are bombarded each day on social media feeds and the internet with expensive solutions to losing weight and new eating trends. They will offer you expensive programs promising that you will lose weight and get in shape in 4 weeks or even shorter time. But to be honest, if you are motivated enough you could achieve your goals for almost free.

Choosing healthy food on your next visit to the grocery store doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. You don’t have to live on kale, chia seeds, almonds, or some other proclaimed superfoods. Just buy vegetables that you know how to cook and what you will do with them. Eating healthy is best when is planned thoroughly. Buy cabbage, carrots, salads, and even potatoes can be healthy if cooked carefully. Bake them in the oven or just boil instead of frying them. Search online for easy and simple recipes with ingredients that don’t cost a fortune. Don’t follow trends but do your research first before you buy anything.

Instead of purchasing expensive training programs or joining a gym, there are so many helpful training videos you can download for free from YouTube. All you need is a couple of minutes to find what you need, and when you have time, you can start exercising. So if your excuse is that it all costs money, it actually doesn’t. And if you think that you don’t have enough time to exercise. We need to make time. Even just 30 minutes of exercise three times a week will leave you feeling stronger and happier. And whenever you think you don’t have time, just remind yourself what you’re trying to accomplish. Think about how happy you will feel when you reach your goal. If you make a mistake, don’t worry. Everybody does. That bad snack you had last night will not set you up that much. The important thing is to keep trying and to stay positive. Instead of thinking about all the reasons why you can’t do something, motivate yourself and find new ways to do it. As I said, your mind is a powerful thing. So let it work for you and not against you. Stay positive, and keep trying; every minute and every meal counts. It’s a step closer to your goal, and it will make you stronger.