13. Give in to that craving.
In moderation only! Resisting a craving means you’ll likely eat a bunch of unnatural substitutions before ending up at the real thing, while a real piece of chocolate would have been a lot less detrimental on its own. Just don’t go nuts!
12. Set achievable goals and reward yourself.
Help keep yourself motivated by rewarding yourself when you reach a set, reasonable goal. You should stretch them out as they become easier and easier to achieve.
11. Eat when you’re eating.
Don’t multitask while eating. Turn off the television, radio, phone — what have you. Focus only on eating so you feel full and better about what you eat, rather than mindlessly consuming every calorie within reach.
10. Log what you eat before you eat it.
Food logs are a great way to study your diet habits and hold yourself accountable for maintaining a diet. Make sure to write down what you eat, then eat it, or you’ll feel tempted to fudge the ledger. If you feel the need to lie about it, it likely was not a good choice.
9. Look at your body.
Take photos at the beginning of your journey at at major milestones, and study yourself in the mirror in between. Keep yourself motivated by seeing with your own eyes how far you have come and how far you can yet go.
8. Know portion sizes.
Learn how much one serving actually is and stick to it. Measure it out at first to be absolutely certain. Only when you are comfortable with guessing and your own weight should you eyeball it.
7. Make healthy substitutions.
Take that skim milk over whole milk, put that applesauce into that cake. Make as many tiny substitutions as you can in order to improve the foods you already know and love.
