10 Easy Ways to Stick to A Diet

Published on April 13, 2024

Thinking of kicking off a diet to shed some pounds and keep obesity at bay? Great choice! But, if you’re reading this, you might be fretting over sticking to your chosen diet. The terror of tripping up is real, yet, fear not! With our top **ten simple hacks**, stumbling isn’t on the menu. Victory blooms from smart plays, and lucky you, that’s exactly what we’ve got on tap!

What are the most common causes that lead to obesity?

Obesity is one of the biggest health issues of the 21st century. An individual is considered to struggle with obesity or overweight if his/her BMI (Body Mass Index) is above 30. According to the latest available statistics, more than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be either overweight or obese. In addition, more than 1 in 6 adolescents have also been found to struggle with weight gain issues, including extreme obesity (1).

In the following, we will share some factors that are most commonly linked to the occurrence and development of obesity.

Genetics, which unfortunately do commonly lead to obesity. Children of obese parents are more likely to become obese themselves (2);
Unhealthy eating habits, such as eating too much empty calories, masked behind junk foods, sugary drinks, and sweets (3);
Irregular physical activity, when combined with an unhealthy diet is the perfect recipe for weight gain and obesity (4);
Use of certain medications, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, and diabetes medications which are commonly found to lead to obesity (5, 6, 7);
Binge eating, and the empty calories that it leads to being eaten within a number of minutes, etc (8).

There are many other causes that can and do lead to obesity, but as we mentioned earlier, we listed only the most common of them all. But have you ever wondered why doctors and researchers all around the world point out the importance to lose the extra weight and aim to maintain healthy body weight? It is because obesity has been linked to so many health issues in the past. There is a variety of chronic diseases in whose development, obesity has an important role. Let’s list some of the most common health risks and issues that develop due to obesity.

Cardiovascular disease
Heart attack
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Arthritis
High blood pressure
Sleep apnea
Kidney disease
Fatty liver disease etc (9).

Many of these health risks not only reduce the quality of your life but also threaten to end your life. And all of that because of some empty calories and sitting around, when what you should be doing is taking better care of your health. When you look it like that, it is true that nothing is worth to put your life in danger.

10 easy tips that will help you to stick to your diet better

First of all, we want to congratulate you on making the first step towards improving your life. Acknowledging your mistakes and taking the things in your hands are the first and most important steps. From here on, it gets easier, or does it? If it does give us the opportunity to improve our lives, then it is worth it for sure, and it does not matter if it is easy or not, does it not?

There are many mistakes that you can easily make, especially if you are new to dieting and losing weight. That is why, what will follow, are some great and easy tips and tricks that will help you to stick better to your chosen diet and once and for all lose all that extra body weight. With the help of your diet, regular physical activity, many motivation, time, and effort, and well, these great tips and tricks, you will be able to lose that extra body weight in no time!

1. Set realistic goals

The first thing is to set realistic goals that you can actually achieve. You or anyone around you should not pressure you to lose an unrealistic amount of weight in a short time. What you want to do when you are trying to lose weight, is set realistic goals on a weekly, and monthly level. According to Mayo Clinic, 1 to 2 pounds per week is considered to be a healthy weight loss (10). Goals that will encourage you to try harder and stay motivated is what you should be set up for you. Any goals that put extra pressure on you should be eliminated right away.

2. Start your morning with a power breakfast

When you are trying to lose weight, what you should seek is a healthy diet that will guide you towards a healthy calorie deficit. That way, with the help of regular physical activity, you will be able to lose more calories than you intake on a daily level, which of course will result in a healthy weight loss. One of the best ideas that will limit your calorie intake throughout the day and still keep you fed and satisfied is a power, protein-rich breakfast. Proteins are your biggest friends when you are trying to lose weight (11, 12). So you should definitely rely on them as much as possible. Giving them an important role as a part of your breakfast is one of the ways that you can use.

3. Prepare your own snacks

Who does not like to steal a snack or two in between meals? But the way to do it when you are trying to lose weight is to choose healthy snacks only. In fact, the best way is to prepare your snacks from the comfort of your own home using fresh ingredients that you have picked yourself. We would recommend homemade granola bars, fresh veggies with homemade hummus, chia pudding, Greek yogurt, nuts, etc. You can easily pack your snacks and carry them around with you to make sure that you always have something healthy to snack on.

4. Throw away any unhealthy foods from your house

We are only humans, and it is quite easy to fail under pressure when you are trying to lose weight, and yet, you are surrounded by unhealthy foods everywhere you look. Go through your kitchen cabinets, your fridge, and all of your hiding places around the house to look for, and throw out any unhealthy foods that you might be hiding around. There is no reason why you should deal with the extra pressure of having to see your favorite, unhealthy snacks and foods around you when you are trying to make such a big change in your life (13).

5. Plan your eating out

During your weight loss journey, it is almost impossible not to get invited to an event that requires eating out. Just because you are trying to lose weight that does not mean that you should avoid eating out completely. You just need to plan it better. Do your research and discuss the possibility of eating somewhere where you know it is healthy, yet delicious food available at all times?

6. Find out and remember what motivates you

No matter if it is a better body image, improved self-confidence, or better health that you are looking to achieve with your weight loss, it is of vital importance to define what exactly motivates you and keep reminding yourself of it. If you need, you can even make a list and keep it close to you at all times. Just make sure that not a day goes by that you do not remind yourself of what really drives you to lose all that extra weight.

7. Take baby steps

Changing your life completely to fit the weight loss journey all at once can really take it out of you. And the last thing that you would want in a time like this is the extra pressure. Take small, yet meaningful steps that will eventually get you to improve your life and embrace the weight loss journey with the best attitude and mood possible! Do not attempt to make any major steps all in once, especially not if you are new to this dieting and exercising thing.

8. Do not starve yourself

Dieting and losing weight does not equal to starvation. Anyone who is trying to convince you otherwise is terribly wrong. If you attempt to starve yourself for the purposes of losing weight, you are only exposing yourself to the risk of not losing any weight at all, since your body will try to protect yourself and reduce the calories that are being burned for the purposes of surviving. Do not ever feel the need to starve yourself in order to lose weight. Eating healthy and working out will do their own magic and you will still get to enjoy delicious and filling food throughout the entire way.

9. Track your progress

Keeping track of the calories that you intake on a daily level, logging in everything that you have eaten or drank every day can help you monitor your weight loss process better. You can use a food diary, or you can install one of the popular apps on your phone that will help track your calories for you (14). Keeping track of your physical activity is also beneficial. Installing a pedometer on your phone can help you track your steps and remind you to walk the recommended 10,000 steps a day for the ultimate health benefits!

10. Drink water

Many people tend to underestimate the power of water, especially as a part of the weight loss process. When the truth is, that drinking water will help you intake fewer calories that you can ever imagine. A study published in the Frontiers in Nutrition has shown that drinking 500 ml of fresh water before a meal can help reduce the calorie intake and enhances the weight loss process (15). So drink your 8 glasses of water a day, and keep a water bottle close to you at all times to make sure that you are staying hydrated.

Conclusion

As you can see, planning your meals better, drinking enough water, choosing your snacks wisely, and tracking your progress are some great tips that anyone who is interested in losing weight can use. There are multiple beneficial effects to come from an effective weight loss, for the goals of improving your health, but your self-confidence also. Use these tips and tricks and achieve a great, healthy weight loss starting from today!

References