Use Cognitive-Behavioural Coping Skills For A More Successful Diet

While people tend to argue about the specifics, a healthy diet and regular exercise generally encompass most plans for losing weight and getting fit. The biggest problem is sticking with it, whatever your plan may be. Dr Melanie Greenberg, writing for Psychology Today, suggests that the best way to stick to your goals is to change the way you relate to and think about food.

Photo by NextGen Stock

Her suggestions are as follows:

• Schedule your day out so you have time to prepare and eat healthy foods.
• Talk about your goals with friends and family and ask them for help when needed.
• When you eat, just eat. Don’t watch TV, use the computer, or anything that will distract you from your meal in any way.
• Remind yourself of your weight/fat loss goals several times a day, and remember how important those goals are to you.
• Don’t use a good or bad day as an excuse to reward yourself with a high-calorie snack or make yourself feel better by binging on ice cream. Have healthy snacks ready for these occasions so you’re prepared to cope.
• Regularly remind yourself that you can and will succeed.

I can at least personally attest to the importance of scheduling time in your day for food. If I don’t, I end up skipping meals (or at least postponing them). One of the biggest changes I’ve made this year is scheduling time for breakfast. I get up ten minutes earlier now to have time to make and eat breakfast. It’s not much more time, but I’ve cut out superfluous parts of my morning routine to make it functional. It’s one of the best changes I’ve ever made.

Do you have experience with any of the above suggestions? How have they fared for you? Share you experiences in the comments.

Also, if you want to read more about Dr Greenberg’s suggestions and find out about the science behind them, be sure to check out the full post.

To Lose the Weight, You Gotta Change How You Relate (to Food) [Psychology Today]