Before You Start Your New Diet
It seems like every spring most of us decide that it’s time to get back into the swing of eating right and cutting back on junk food, calories, fat and carbs.
Starting a new diet can be exciting and also it can be a challenge. You need to learn what foods you can and can not eat, how much to eat and when to eat.
But what is really more important is you and your current mindset, how you look, how you feel and what your goals are.
So before you embark on your new diet, keep these tips handy and you’ll find that you have an easier time starting your diet and also an easier time staying on your diet 
.
Observe your body and your mind
What are you feeling physically? You know your body better than anyone else. What is going on with it right now? Is your current diet fueling you? Is it giving you energy throughout your day? Or are you feeding yourself poorly and expecting your body to pull you through anyway?
And how are you doing mentally? Are you feeling like you can conquer the world? Or are you suffering mild depression or lack of excitement about your life?
Before you make a change in your diet, take stock of where you are now, jot down your current state of mind and health so you know your starting point. Then write down what you would like to be feeling both mentally and physically.
How do you want your body to look?
How do you want your body to feel? Do you want to wake up more excited about each new day? What do you want to have accomplished in the next 30 days? Three months? Six months? A year from now? Write out what it would feel like to reach the goals that you are working toward.
Avoid a binge the day or night (or week!) before you change your diet.
You set your body up for disaster by overeating junk foods before starting a new healthier diet.
Unfortunately this is probably one of the most common moves that many people make. If you have ever gone on a diet or know someone who has, you have probably heard or experienced the “last treat day” where huge amounts of food are binged on (and not usually even enjoyed) in an effort to eat as many forbidden foods as possible before they are taken off the menu. During this binge day it is possible to gain one or two extra pounds that you will then have to lose.
Don’t do it -it’s not worth it. What you can do is to decide that once a week you will give yourself a small treat. This can be one fast food meal, one piece of cake, one ice cream cone.
If you allow yourself to cheat (remember - cheat just a small bit) you will then feel energized to get back on your diet. If you find that you can not stick to just one treat a week, then avoid the cheat system all together and then force yourself not to deviate away from your diet.
Drink a lot
Not alcohol, silly, water! Hydrate your body with lots of water continuously. This is good advice for every day of your life, not just when you’re making a change in your diet. You can never hurt yourself by getting a lot of water each day. Keep a glass of water near you at all times and sip it throughout your day.
Avoid eating late at night
You may not know this, but sumo wrestlers use the method of eating a lot of calories and then going right to sleep (either napping or sleeping at night) as a technique for putting the pounds on fast. So don’t do what sumo wrestlers do.
Don’t eat late at night and then go to sleep. If you eat a lot of calories late at night you won’t have time to burn off the calories you have eaten before you go to sleep and as an added bummer you will wake up in the morning feeling groggy, not rested, because your digestive system has had to work hard all night to deal with all the food you munched on the night before.
These are just a few health tips to consider when making a change in your diet. It is good to move toward a healthier diet — just keep these tips in mind for a smoother transition and better results.
