Just like you routinely tune up your car and take it in for maintenance checks, your weight loss program needs periodic checkups too. By tuning up your program on a regular basis, you will maintain optimal performance in your quest for weight loss and improved health.
A program tune-up is certainly indicated if you reach a weight loss plateau but it’s also needed if you feel your motivation waning or your time commitment to your healthy lifestyle program decreasing.
If you’re seeing good results and are focused for months on end, a tune up at six-month intervals may be in order.
However, if you’re someone who hasn’t been that engaged in your program, a tune up at two-month intervals may be just what you need to refocus. Here are some tips to guide you:
1. Read over your instruction manual. The personalized program that you get as a premium member consists of weight loss strategies (the core program) that are specific to your eating, exercise and coping personality types. You also get access to meal plans for your eating type and other calorie controlled meal ideas that will help you lose weight.
You can think of this information as your personal guide to achieving weight loss success. Some members actually get themselves a folder to keep printed copies of their personalized program. I highly recommend you do this because this is the information you need to read and re-read on a regular basis to help you stay focused.
2. Check your levels. It is helpful to have objective parameters that tell you how well you’re doing. Examples include your weekly weigh-in, body measurements and tracking results from daily food and activity tracking. Tune-up time is a perfect time to recommit to doing regular self-monitoring activities like the ones mentioned – which have proven to help dieters lose more weight.
With the holidays just around the corner, this is as important a time as ever to use the diet.com tracking tools and give yourself that competitive, healthy edge so you can realize better results.
(Tip continues below)
3. Visit the experts. To get the full benefits of your premium membership, you should be reaching out to the Diet.com team of experts on a regular basis. Registered dietitian Shauna Schultz and I are here to help you succeed but we won’t be able to help you unless you tell us about your particular struggles.
You have a few ways to do this. You can either send us a private message email or you can post your situation in one of the three premium member message boards: Coaching Corner, Exercise for Every Body and the Rate My Plate boards. Take advantage of your premium membership today by reaching out to us and telling us how you are doing. Also, join us for the Tuesday night live chat where you can get expert support in real time.
4. Replace parts that aren’t working. If part of your weight loss program isn’t working right, maybe it needs replacing. For example, maybe you can no longer afford your gym membership and need a less expensive option for working out or maybe you have found yourself eating out a lot because of a job change. As life circumstances change, so will your weight loss program. This is the perfect time to re-take the Diet Personality Quiz and give yourself a fresh, new program.
I hope these four tips will give you the motivation you need to take control and stay focused now and through the holidays.
|
