Awarding yourself 'I've been good, so I can be bad' credits

If you want to compliment a healthy eating plan with exercise then I applaud you. But if you think that running for a few extra miles gives you the right to cheat on your diet then you are only fooling yourself.

Don't sabotage your diet with unhealthy treats because you've done some exercise

Exercise burns off a lot less calories than you might expect and the unhealthy 'reward' food that you treat yourself to once you've done a workout is going to eat up that deficit and plenty more.

It's also worth considering your goals. Are you exercising and watching your diet because you want to lose weight? I'm guessing that you probably are, but trading exercise for junk food puts you right back where you started.

In the very short term you get a small reward. But that only lasts for as long as the taste of your "cheat snack" lingers in your mouth. The real damage caused by your little treat goes much deeper. It steals your exercise gains from you so you're not making any detectible progress towards your goal, in the long term these little treats can lead to a lack of motivation because you're putting in all that work and not seeing any results.

Stop sabotaging your own success with 'little treats' that give you a few moments of sugary pleasure before they rob you of all the hard work and discipline you've put in. If you do a little extra exercise then allow that in itself to make you feel great, be proud of yourself because you deserve it. Don't immediately throw it away by cashing it in for a "treat" you'll regret as soon as it's gone.

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The wrong amount of protein

Carb free, high protein diets are very popular, but they are very unhealthy in the long term.

High protein diets can be very unhealthy in the long term

Your body needs a decent balance of nutrients to function properly, especially your digestive system. Healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains are often avoided on a carb free high protein diet, but these foodstuffs provide vital nutrients that help to keep your gut bacteria happy.

If you have a diet plan that restricts a specific food group that supplies nutrients that your body needs this can cause health complications as well as cravings and can cause you to overeat.

Eating protein also helps to keep you feeling full and satisfied, so when you don't eat it you are hungry more often, which ultimately leads to eating more and gaining weight.

Whatever diet plan you are following, you should consider its affects on your overall health, not just your weight. Restricting yourself from eating whole food groups is never a good idea. Your body needs a healthy balance of nutrients in order to function correctly and keep you healthy.

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Don't keep your diet a secret

If you are keeping your diet a secret, ask yourself why?

Don't keep your diet a secret. Tell your friends and you'll be more likely to succeed

Are you keeping it a secret because you think that your friends will try to make you fail, or make fun of you?

If you are then you need to seriously think about your friend choices. Friends should be supportive of your efforts to better yourself. And you'll probably find that most of them are. When you tell your friends that you are on a diet most (if not all) of them will support you.

Think of how you'd react if one of your friends said they were on a diet. Would you support them? Would you join them? Would you think of healthy activities that you could both do together to support and motivate each other?

I'm hoping that you would.  :)

Well they are just the same. When you tell your friends that you are planning a healthier lifestyle they are much more likely to help than hinder you.

But this is only half of the picture.

I want you to be really honest with yourself here....

Are you avoiding telling your friends because you secretly think that you'll give up after a few days and you don't want them to think you're a failure?

If this sounds like you then you need to reevaluate your goal. You need to think of a much better reason to lose weight than the one you're currently using.

'Because I should' is not enough. It won't motivate you to stick to your healthy eating plan when the going gets tough. You need to find a really powerful reason that gets you excited just thinking about it.

Also, the very act of telling another person will increase the probability of sticking to your diet. It's not so easy to give up on something when other people know about your goals. Letting yourself down is one thing, but doing it with the full knowledge of a person you admire and respect is something else entirely.

Decide on your diet goals and commit to them. Be specific and tell your friends.

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Create a weekly diet plan and stock up on supplies

"Fail to plan... Plan to fail!"

This common saying is often thrown around in the world of self improvement, but it equally applies to your success with your diet.

If you don't plan ahead then you are setting yourself up for failure.

When hunger strikes, if you don't have healthy snacks readily available you are much more likely to make unhealthy decisions.

Dietary experts recommend that you plan a week ahead. Think about all of the healthy snacks and meals you'll be eating over the following week and then break down all of the ingredients you need to make them and stock up!

You can prepare healthy snacks for the week ahead. Use plastic containers to store them in the fridge (or freeze if necessary)

Prepare healthy snacks for the week ahead to help you stick to your diet

If you have healthy snacks to hand when hunger strikes, you are much more likely to stick to your diet plan.

You need to plan for your weakest moments when you are strong. If you do that you'll guarantee that you the heathy option is the easiest option when you need it.

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