Dieting can be incredibly difficult due to the fact that you’ll need to change everything from the types of food that you eat to how you perceive food, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. With a lot of hard work and effort on your part, you’ll be able to get to the weight you’ve always wanted to be, and if you’re careful you could still enjoy the odd treat now and again.
When dieting, you should always keep the end result that you’re going for in your mind, so that even if you hit a difficult patch you can keep going. A lot of people find that it’s all too easy to slip up and creep back into their old eating habits, so if you do want to treat yourself you’re going to need to do it carefully. Here are some of my top tips on how to treat yourself without ruining your diet:
1) Plan ahead
If you’re going to treat yourself, always make plans for it rather than going for something at the last minute. You might find that you become incredibly impulsive when making snap decisions, and this can usually result in weight gain. With some forethought though, you can decide what you’d like to treat yourself with ahead of time so that you won’t be tempted to go off your diet.
2) Don’t go crazy
If given the opportunity to eat foods that aren’t allowed on your diet, such as chocolate or cake, carry out some portion control to stop yourself from going crazy. Go for smaller portions and never go back for seconds, but this is where you can start to lose track of things a little bit.
3) Don’t give into peer pressure
If you’ve already planned to give yourself a little treat at the end of the week but friends have started to pressure you into going out for a meal, for instance, stick to your guns instead of giving in. A lot of the time friends and family can be incredibly well-meaning when urging you to enjoy yourself, but if they don’t understand what it could do to your diet they might end up helping you to gain a few pounds.
4) Choose lighter options
If you’re selecting a treat for yourself, don’t go for the truly unhealthy stuff. Instead, select one of the many ‘lighter’ options that are out there. A lot of different diet companies make diet versions of cakes, biscuits and sweets that you can indulge yourself in every now and then, so you can get the sugar fix you’ve been craving without letting your diet go down the pan.
5) Remember why you’re treating yourself
A lot of people think they’re treating themselves when on a diet just to congratulate themselves for doing a good job, but you definitely shouldn’t look at it this way. This can instil the wrong kind of mentality in your mind, so instead you should think of it as a way to stop yourself from falling off the wagon completely. This can happen when you make certain foods completely off limits – you’ll always want what you can’t have. By treating yourself once a week or so, you can give into your cravings ever so slightly to keep going on your diet.
What will you be treating yourself with?
This post was contributed by Francis Lincoln a freelance writer specialising in healthy eating and dieting well with easy to follow Diet Plans and keeping on track with a weight loss calculator.
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