I knew when i started my diet over a year ago, that I just had to do it. I started by just tracking my food, every single bite, good or bad. I used (and still use) a nutritional software. This made it easier, helped me see what I was doing with all kinds of reports and so on. In the beginning my only goal was to get use to recording everything and break the habit of thinking each day had to be perfect. In fact I soon learned to watch my averages rather than my daily totals.
Once I was comfortable with counting, I started reducing my calories. I did not set a limit....I instead worked on getting as many days as I could under 1600 calories, but if I could not, I did not throw up my hands and quit. I did not give up any foods, instead I worked on getting as many healthy choices as I could manage. After awhile I went very low calorie, my average for the whole year ended up being about 1300 calories and I lost 78 pounds.
In my second year, I am doing the same thing, reducing my calorie average and lowering my carbs as I am pre-diabetic. I know exactly what foods help me feel my best and which ones cause me to binge and crave.
I feel my success is coming from taking a completely different approach than I ever have before....by making my calorie counting a normal activity of my daily chores. It isn't based on a perfect record, it's based on a persistent record. I enter my foods for the day in the morning, correct it at the end of the day for any changes to my planned meals and that's it. At this point, my software has all of my recipes I normally prepare, all of my usual foods, and I can copy menus from previous days making the whole data entry part minimal.
I cannot fail my diet unless I quit recording it. Forcing myself to see the consequences of bingeing in black and white really have opened my eyes. In turn, seeing how many days I can eat well really boost my motivation to get to goal.
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