Helpful Tips for Staying on Track With Your Diet

The end of the Spring 2013 TLS® Weight Loss Find Your Fit Challenge is just a few weeks away! Whether you’re participating in the challenge or just doing your best to get fit for summer, here are 5 helpful tips for staying on track with your diet and reaching your weight loss goals.

Plan you mealsRemember when you were a kid and your mom would tell you to lay out your school clothes for the next day? Mom was on to something – and no, I’m not talking about making sure you were presentable for class! Just like planning out what you will wear makes it easier to get ready in the morning, planning your meals for the next day takes the guess-work out of what you’re going to eat. Not only that, but by having a plan to refer to, you no longer give yourself a choice – meaning less opportunities to slip up and “choose” a candy bar over a handful of almonds and piece of fruit!

Brown-bag it!If you’re not already bringing your lunch to work, start now! It may take a little extra time, but packing your own lunch means that you are in control of what’s in it – and most of all, what’s not! And just like planning your meals the night before, packing it the night before is a great way to help you stay on track. Buy a cute lunch box, whip up something healthy, and put your lunch – in your fancy new lunchbox- in the fridge so it’s all ready before you head out the door. If you’re afraid that you will forget it in the morning, try the old keys-in-the-fridge trick: put your car keys, wallet, and whatever else you need to get out the door in the fridge with your lunchbox. When you go looking for your keys, you’ll remember you stuck them in the fridge…along with your lunch!

Hit the farmers marketAre you getting bored of eating the same health food day in and day out? Sounds like it’s time to check out the local farmers market! Mix up your diet with new fruits and veggies that are in season, and choose produce that is colorful and even exotic looking. Why? Well, other than being packed with more nutrients than paler varieties, we can have a tendency to want to eat food that is aesthetically appealing – so the more eye catching, the better! If you’re not sure how to cook or eat a vegetable or fruit, ask the vendor how they like to cook the food at home, and go from there.

Write it downIt may seem like a tedious task, but writing down what you eat has been proven to be one of the best ways to stay on track with your diet. To make the process less time consuming, write down what you plan on eating the following day when you’re planning your meals the night before. If you’re counting calories or other nutrients, include the tally along with the food so you know exactly how much energy (or protein, or fat) you plan on consuming the following day. Not a pencil and paper kinda’ person? Check out the food journal apps that are available in your smartphone app store. There are a lot of really great apps that are free, functional, and easy to use! If you’re not sure which one to download, we suggest Lose It!This food-tracking app is available on both Android and iPhone, and is also accessible on the web (i.e. from your PC or Mac!).

If you screw up, don’t start over on MondayWe’re all bound to slip up on our diets at one point or another, but the important thing is not to let it defeat you. If you have a piece of cake at your friend’s birthday party on Friday, don’t wait until Monday to start eating healthy again; start when you finish that last bite of cake. Dieting is not all or nothing! Just because you ate something unhealthy doesn’t mean that your whole day – or week! – is ruined, but it does mean that you owe it to yourself to turn it around immediately after you “mess up”.

What are your tried-and-true tips for staying on track with your diet and reaching your weight loss goals? Post them in the comments below!