10 Dieting Tips That Work

By: Robin Raven

Break Studios Contributing Writer

If you are fighting the battle of the bulge, you'll want to read these ten dieting tips that work. Before starting any diet or fitness routine, it's important to consult a doctor. If you're ready and willing, get started on eating healthier and moving more by taking these important steps along your health quest journey.

Count your calories. Most diet plans should be under 1,500 calories per day, but some dieters may need a bit more or less. Whichever plan you are on, be sure to keep track of the calories that you consume. If you don't want to do it for the whole diet, keep track for the first couple of weeks, until you are on the right track.
Exercise every day. Even if it's just for ten minutes of walking in place by your desk. It's just important to get your body moving. Weight lifting and strength training should only be done three to four days per week, but aerobic exercise can be done every day.
Eat celery. Celery is actually a negative calorie food, meaning that it takes more calories to eat it than the food itself contains. Chili peppers, cucumbers and asparagus also count as negative calorie foods. Indulge in them without any guilt.
Make short-term goals. If you only make long-term diet goals, you'll get easily discouraged, as your happy ending is too far off into the future. Instead, make weekly and monthly goals.
Set realistic goals. If you set your sights too high, you'll be setting yourself up for disappointment. There are bound to be pitfalls along the way. Never anticipate losing more than one to two pounds per week. Be optimistic when it comes to dieting, but be more realistic when goal setting.
Avoid weight loss myths. Although there's a long-standing myth that one should not eat after dark or after 8 p.m. when dieting, that's simply not true. What matters most is what you consume, not when you consume it. However, if you are going to eat late, be careful about what you opt to eat.
Keep a structure to your diet days, but don't be a slave to them. If you haven't eaten all of your designated calories by 10 p.m., don't feel that you have to binge and eat them before bed. While you don't want to skimp on the designated calories every day, forgive yourself if the schedule isn't perfect. The same is true if you eat too many calories in a day.
Tomorrow is a new day. See it as a new beginning. When you're on a diet, you need to see every day as an opportunity to work out to the best of your ability and stick to a healthy diet. Forget the mistakes of the past day or month, you can start anew each and every day.
Keep a diet journal. This is one of the most helpful things that you can do for your diet. Diet journals allow you to keep track of your moods as your body changes, track measurements in inches and weight, and remember anything of interest to you as you lose weight.
Give yourself non-food rewards for sticking to your plan. It should be something different and pleasurable each weekend, if you've stuck to your diet plans for the entire week (and sometimes, even if you haven't, to encourage yourself for the week ahead). However, never let the reward be food-related.