5 Easy Things You Can Do to Jump-Start Your Diet

Starting a new diet plan can be hard, but there are some easy things you can do to get started and to give yourself a bit of inspiration when you want to lose weight - whether you are just getting started or you feel like you've already tried everything.

5 Easy Things You Can Do to Jump-Start Your Diet image courtesy of Pixabay

5 Easy Things You Can Do to Jump-Start Your Diet

Starting your fitness quest with a few simple things gives you small successes to feel good about, and those successes make the next steps easier, too.

1. Start a Fitness Journal: Experts claim that people who keep a fitness journal see more results, and it's such an easy way to get started on your weight loss journey. 
1. At first, you don't even have to do anything different, just record your dietary intake and activity levels for a few days to create a baseline. 
2. A fitness journal can be as simple as a notebook where you record what you eat, what you drink, exercises you do, and how you feel. 
3. It can also be digital, or a fancier journal specifically created for people trying to lose weight. 
2. Get a Water Bottle: If you don't already have a water bottle you can keep handy all the time, find one that fits your hand and has a sealing top so it won't spill easily. 
1. Then, do the rubber band trick, to help you track your water consumption without even having to write it down till the end of the day. 
1. The Rubber Band Trick: You know you need eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, according to most weight loss experts 
1. - so - say your water bottle hold 16-ounces - that means you need to fill it four times per day 
2. - so each morning, fill it and put 3 rubber bands around the center 
3. - each time you refill it - remove a rubber band 
4. - when you take off the last band and finish the water - you have consumed the day's minimum amount of water (but you can always have more than that.) 
3. Take a Walk: This is a good way to sneak in a bit of fat-burning cardio. A 10 to 20 minute walk energizes you and gets your blood pumping. Walk at your own pace, or just fast enough to get a little out of breath. 
4. Choose a Fiber Supplement: This is a great way to reduce your appetite naturally. Look for fiber-rich foods or choose a fiber supplement to take, and increase your water intake to help the fiber swell in your stomach so you don't feel as hungry. 
5. Add Some Weight to Your Workouts: Grab some dumbbells and add a few presses, curls, and squats to your workout time to get faster results. 
1. If you don't have access to dumbbells, grab a couple of cans of soup and use them for a bit of resistance. 
1. This lets you try resistance workouts without buying anything - just in case you don't like it. 

I really don't like to use the word diet when I'm referring to healthy lifestyle changes and fitness plans, but no matter what you call it, following these simple starter tips can help you get started on the path to achieving a healthy weight. Laure J