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Track what you eat
First things first: get yourself a calorie tracking app on your phone or keep a food diary. You’ve probably heard this a million times before but the most effective way to make sure that you aren’t overeating is to track your calories and macronutrients throughout the day. This allows you to aim for a set number of calories per day or week, eating food that you actually enjoy, all whilst losing fat!
Diets don’t mean deprivation
Diets are often mistaken as deprivation. This shouldn’t be the case! There’s little point in giving up chocolate, or cheese, or any other “unhealthy” food in the New Year because the chances are that the cravings will build and build and build… and then you might give in and set yourself back. Rather than cancelling out a high-calorie food that you enjoy, consume it in smaller portions. Would you rather enjoy a small portion of chocolate every day and fit it into your calorie allowance, or gorge on a lot one evening and feel guilty for the next few days? It seems like a no brainer – everything in moderation.
Why wait ‘til the New Year?
There isn’t long left until 2018 hits us. Christmas is just round the corner and for most of us that means lots of food (and alcohol) is on its way, so I’m not suggesting that you go into full on diet mode quite yet… however, you could start to make a few small changes. Changes to your diet should happen gradually, not all at once! An example of this could be to make your plate of food a little more colourful by adding green leafy vegetables – full of vitamins, not so full of calories. It adds more bulk to your meals, making you feel fuller and less likely to overeat. This’ll give you less of a shock when the 1st of January arrives as you’ll have started to change the way you eat already. On a similar note – join a gym now! Waiting until the New Year will just add more to your to-do list and there’s less chance of you signing up. Get a head start on your goals for the coming year!
How to effectively set a goal
It’s all well and good saying to yourself “my goal for 2018 is to lose 15lbs”, but how are you going to achieve it? Make sure that when you give yourself a goal you also lay out a plan of action to achieve it. A better goal might sound like this: “my goal for 2018 is to lose 15lbs – I will exercise three times per week and track my calories”. This keeps you accountable and is far less vague than just saying to yourself that you’ll lose weight. So when you’re planning your goals for 2018 remember to write out your plan of attack too. Write out a detailed goal, stick it on your fridge and stick to it!
Buddy Up
It’s great to hold yourself accountable, but sometimes it’s hard to stay strict with yourself when you know nobody is watching… Tackle this by going to the gym with a friend, sharing healthy recipe ideas, or even getting yourself a trainer. These will all help you to stay motivated, keep yourself on track, and reach your goals with ease.