So, the new year has begun and you’ve made the decision to lose that weight, but are you actually going to lose it or give up when it gets too hard? One of the biggest troubles of the weight loss process, besides exercise, is dieting. It’s even harder when you’re in college.
So how can a person conquer the little problems that come with dieting?
1. Make sure your diet is reasonable and appropriate for your body.
DO NOT PICK AN INSANE DIET. It’s really tempting to pick the diets that promise to lose 10lbs in a week (military diet, IU diet, etc.) these diets can help you lose that initial weight, but when you stop the diet you put on the weight you just lost. Why? These diets seriously mess up your metabolism and, in a nutshell, they confuse your body once you resume your normal diet.
PICK A HEALTHY DIET. A healthy diet does not involve crazy fasting or eating only one type of food, it involves taking out specific ingredients in food that can induce weight gain. Some good diets to try are low-fat and low-carb. These diets allow for a balanced diet, but take out fat-inducing foods. You can even customize a personal diet, but you should still consult your doctor first.
2. Budget your money
Healthy foods cost a lot more than ramen. That is a fact. Before going shopping make sure you research your diet and see some example meal plans. Now do not go and buy exactly what these examples show you, but take inspiration from it and fit it to what you like. Using my diet, for example, I substituted chips for dried banana but many other people use other substitutes. Find the things that you like and you know that you will eat and buy small amounts. Do not bulk buy.
3. Be Determined
Most people quit dieting due to lack of motivation. Make sure you put that mental point and goal in your head to keep you going. Have a cheat treat every so often (once a week) to help appease those temptations, but stay determined to continue the diet after the sweets. Do not give up, and do not forget to take care of yourself, a diet is something that helps your body become better, so do not allow for lack of motivation to stop you.
These are just some pointers that have personally worked for me in my time of dieting. Do not be discouraged if you do not see progress immediately, continue onward and through time progress will be made. Good luck!