Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dieters

The only way to successfully diet is to develop habits and stick to them for a lifetime. It takes the cultivation of small behavioral changes to make the big impacts in diet that eventually make big impacts in our health. That is why dieting is so hard. It asks us to change our behavior in small ways and develop new habits that are against our natural inclination. There are habits, however, that most successful dieters use, and they can be learned with a little bit of time and patience.

Plan Ahead

• Temptation strikes at will, and only the dieter who plans ahead for that eventuality succeeds where others fail. Have healthy treats prepared for a moment's notice. Have the menu for the week planned out to avoid the dreaded pizza-ordering night. When buying groceries, plan for all meals and snacks in between. Do not leave anything to chance. Be organized and ready for the times when hunger strikes. Only then is the dieter able to stay the course.

Purge the House

• The house should be cleared of all junk foods. The temptation to reach for quick, unhealthy snacks is too great for the dieter. Having pretzels, chips and candies in the pantry does no one any favors. They only serve as reminders of the way you ate before. If you are worried about wasting them, give them to a food pantry or to other family members. If not, throw them out. It isn't worth it to break your healthy lifestyle to save a few dollars.

Don't Buy Junk for Others

• Just because the kids aren't on a diet doesn't mean they can have the cookies in the house. In fact, the kids don't really need cookies, either. If the cookies are in the house, they are a temptation and eventually lead to a dieting breakdown. Successful dieters don't let themselves get pulled into the trap of buying snacks for others. A successful dieter keeps her family healthy by keeping the house free of junk food.

Stay the Course

• If everyone ate pizza for lunchtime, and there was just no helping it, the diet was blown. But that doesn't mean its time to go wild for the rest of the day. Successful dieters know that, even if they slip up, they need to go right back onto their program. Just because you made a mistake doesn't mean the rest of the day should be an orgy of junk food. Stick to your healthy diet as if the slip up didn't happen, and continue on with your diet.

Plan Menus

• Successful dieters plan menus. They know what they are going to eat at least one day before, if not a week before they eat it. Ideally, plan your meals out when you do your grocery shopping to ensure you have all the supplies on-hand to make your healthy meals. If you know what your meals are, you are less likely to eat junk food or to order delivery food. Last-minute eating usually means unhealthy eating.

Snack

• If you get hungry at certain times of the day, plan for healthy snacks. Keep track of the times you get hungry and have snacks available that are filling and diet-friendly. This way, you can stay on your diet without feeling deprived. If you have fruits, vegetables or other filling snacks to keep you from straying from your plan, you can be a successful long-term dieter.

Reward Yourself

• Ice cream, pizza and chocolate are all things most diets are strictly against, but successful dieters know that a life without these things is unrealistic. Find ways to incorporate them into your diet and reward yourself for all your hard work. The important thing is to eat the reward food in moderation and not go overboard. If you allow it within the structure of the diet, you can reward yourself and feel good about staying true to your lifestyle change.