Website design By BotEap.comHave you ever been on a diet, it went really well, and then you noticed your favorite food and missed it completely? We’ve all been on the yoyo diet that’s been going great for a week, almost getting in shape for spring break, but then giving in and denying all of our hard-earned progress; So what should be done? Clearly crash diets are not the way to go, so what can we do to make sure we are consuming fewer calories and actually eating calories that are good for our bodies?

Website design By BotEap.comIn order to stay on track with your healthy eating plan, it will be important for you to establish responsibility for yourself; I have found, for example, that finding a friend with similar goals is extremely helpful. If you are both consistent with your eating plan and don’t cheat, reward each other at the end of the week; make a deal to enjoy a ten dollar prize, if you stay the course, but if either of you cheats, neither of you gets the prize! This will go a long way in encouraging you not to cheat, because if you do, you’re not only screwing yourself, but someone else as well.

Website design By BotEap.comAnother great way to be responsible is to write down everything you eat, actually write down everything, including that handful of peanut m&ms you just ate; At the end of the week, review what you ate. If you force yourself to write down what you’re eating, you’ll think twice; You will be surprised what you eat without thinking about it! If you eat those donuts, after all, you’re going to have to write it down! When you’re reviewing, compare your meal plan to what you actually ate, then figure out what you need to do differently next week.

Website design By BotEap.comIf writing down what you ate doesn’t work well enough for you, download a calorie-counting app on your phone like Lose It or My Fitness Pal; these apps will let you set goals and then tell you how many calories you need to consume to reach your goals; After you eat, just enter what you eat and the app will calculate calories for you, so by keeping track of what you eat, you can be more consistent with your diet.

Website design By BotEap.comThere are many key factors to losing weight: consuming fewer calories, exercising more, drinking adequate amounts of water, eating smaller portions, and getting enough sleep, but all of those factors don’t matter if you can’t be consistent; I have found that consistency is achieved when I have someone or something else to keep me going. I can justify peanut m&ms all day, but if I have something to tell me how many calories I’m getting with each handful of candy, I’ll be less likely to keep reaching for the bowl; you can lose weight and can follow a healthy eating plan, with little responsibility.