Five Ways to Stay Motivated During Your Diet

You have been on diets before. You probably have lost weight. But sometimes, it's tough to stay focused and on track. What's been missing from your efforts? It is possible to lose weight in a consistent way and keep the pounds off.

Perhaps in addition to a solid diet plan, there are some other aspects you have overlooked. It's important in any of your efforts to have motivation and drive to achieve your goals. Dieting is no different and with a few changes around your excitement for the task, you can get to your target weight.

1. Make it fun
Tired of the same foods on your regimen? Do the meals seem boring and repetitive? Try a new recipe that makes sense with your plan. Spices and herbs don't interfere with most diet plans and can add a lot of flavor to the same ingredients. If you are cooking just for yourself, don't settle. Make Tuesday a special occasion. You're going to be eating for the rest of your life. Make it enjoyable.

2. Have a goal
It's easy to get lost without a map. You can get easily sidetracked if you have vague weight loss goals. If you tell yourself, "I'm going to lose a few pounds before that event," you can fall off your plan as quick as a trip to the coffee shop bakery. Don't settle for losing 10 or 20 pounds if your target weight is 40 or 50 pounds away. If you lost the first few pounds, you can get to your goal by continuing what you've been doing.

3. Get help
You can also get lost if you refuse to stop and ask directions. Most tasks are easier if we recruit help. This can be family, friends, or coworkers. Help does not mean everyone in your life will eat the same as you. But asking for support on difficult days is important. Letting the people in your life know what you are doing will give you that extra push when you need it. Getting help can also take the form of enjoying people ask, "Have you lost weight?"

4. Ruin your wardrobe
Part of the excitement of losing weight is finding your clothes get loose-or, finding that last year's jeans actually fit now. One way to reinforce your efforts is to set aside some funds for every pound you lose. Put away $5, $10, or whatever amount feels right and when you hit that goal, go shopping and replace your ill fitting old clothes.

5. Enjoy the extra energy
As you lose weight, you'll feel better and likely have more energy. Do something you've been putting off. Or, take the energy and become more active as you had been in the past. The increased energy as you lose weight lets you do more and increasing your activity level only moves you closer to your weight loss goals.

Take what you know about your body and turn it into a plan that works for you. Sometimes, it takes a complete direction change to get to your goals. Other times, some fine tuning can turn a good plan into a success.

Anthony J. Burlay, M.D. is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and Author of The Foundation Diet: Your Body Was Designed to Eat, a plan he created after losing and keeping off 50 pounds. Learn more at http://www.FoundationDiet.com

Houston Weight Loss Surgeons Discuss How to Choose the Right Bariatric Practice San Francisco Chronicle (press release) Drs. Yu and Scarborough discuss key aspects to look for in a practice before undergoing a weight loss procedure such as gastric plication to help improve results and get patients back on track towards leading a healthier life. and more »

USA TODAY

Weight loss: Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeries amid controversy | MassDevice.com ... Mass Device MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A pair of outpatient clinics in Los Angeles stopped offering weight-loss surgeries using the Lap-Band gastrointestinal device amid ongoing controversy over a marketing campaign. The FDA late last year issued warning letters to 8 ... Clinics halt Lap-Band surgeriesLos Angeles Times Lap-Band surgeries halted at two LA clinicsUSA TODAY Allergan stops selling Lap-Band to 1-800-GET-THIN doctorsInjuryBoard.com California Healthline -French Tribune all 55 news articles »

Dallas Weight Loss Surgeon Adds Bariatrician Sacramento Bee As a Board Certified Bariatrician, Dr. Obi will head up the Bariatric Solutions AfterCare program as well as assisting patients during their pre surgery diet requirement for the weight loss surgeries performed at Bariatric Solutions: Lap Band, ... and more »

Drugs with modified lifestyle help weight loss Times of India A study led by the University of Leicester looks at the effectiveness of anti -obesity drugs and a modified lifestyle on weight loss and BMI. The review was based on 94 studies including over 24000 individuals and assessed how effective the drugs were ... and more »

Weight Loss Rules You're Allowed to Break FitSugar.com (blog) Even though there are some very specific guidelines that can help you reach your goal faster, there's no one-size-fits-all weight-loss plan for everyone. Here are five rules you can bend and still drop pounds from the scale.

Breakthrough for weight loss Galway Advertiser Weight loss is a sensitive subject, whether you only have a few pounds to lose or whether you have a great deal more to lose, the most important step is taking decisive action. Equally important is taking a proven, consistent, and healthy approach that ... and more »

Weight-loss couple urge others to take up challenge This is Plymouth A COUPLE from Devonport embracing the loveLIFE campaign have lost five of their 15 stone weight loss target. Chris Searle, aged 30, and Charlotte Telling, aged 25, who are both unemployed, signed up to The Herald's loveLIFE campaign to help improve the ... and more »

eMaxHealth

The 'fit but fat' debate: Weight loss should still be the goal, experts say Chicago Tribune WEIGHT LOSS STILL THE GOAL Though these findings appear to support the idea that you can be fit but fat, scientists note that the rate of MNBO is very rare within the obese population, and the risk for mortality is still high among the obese, ... The No-Gimmick Secret to Losing Weight for FreeeMaxHealth all 2 news articles »

Politico

Weight Loss: Rick Warren's New Purpose Huffington Post By Lilly Fowler LAKE FOREST, Calif. (RNS) Megachurch pastor Rick Warren has become an outsized evangelical superstar: best-selling author of "The Purpose Driven Life" series, pastoral mentor and even political referee. Now Warren is finding a new ... Rick Warren finds a new purpose: weight lossThe Christian Century Rick Warren gets rid of excess weight using the Saddleback "Daniel Plan ...God Discussion all 6 news articles »

Weight-loss methods tested The Bay of Plenty Times The indulge team and readers test old and new weight-loss methods and Bay dietitian Rachel Scrivin adds her expert opinion. A high protein, low-carbohydrate diet devised by French nutritionist Pierre Dukan. It has grown in popularity over the last year ...