The Weight Loss Minute

Just do one more day!

For thousands of people, this is diet drop-out week!

Research shows that most people average just three to four weeks on a diet before they fall off the wagon. So if you started a diet or weight-loss plan as part of your New Year's resolutions, you could be at a high risk time in your program.

You've probably been through this before. When you first start a new diet, you feel strong, motivated and determined that you will reach your goal. For the first few weeks, everything goes well. You meticulously count food points, drink your nutritional shakes or write down everything you eat.

But real life didn't change just because you went on a diet. People still bring cookies to work and invite you to birthday parties or happy hour. Others entice you to share a dessert. And somewhere around week four, you may start to weaken.

Perhaps you get tired of planning and recording. Or you get side-tracked by stress, fatigue or work challenges. Next thing you know, you give into temptation and eat six cookies or have a couple glasses of wine.

In reality, falling off your diet isn't the end of the world. Unless -- you can't get back on it again. That's what makes this such a critical point in your weight-loss plan. What you do this week can affect the outcome of the entire year ahead.

The late Robert Cavett, founder of the National Speakers Association, once said, "You don't drown from falling in the water. You drown because you don't get back out."

So if you've slipped up, don't give up on your goals. Just get back out of the water! And if you haven't slipped, make sure you prevent this by staying focused in the days ahead.

Here's a few ideas to help you stay on track with your goals of losing and maintaining your weight.

Go back to what works

When you first started your diet plan, what helped you make it work? What tricks did you use to drink enough water or avoid food temptations? Was there a certain time of day that you did your exercise? Make a list of things that contributed to your ability to stay on track. Then put these ideas back in place and use them to make your program successful again.

Deepen your commitment

To strengthen your motivation, remind yourself of all the reasons WHY you want to lose or maintain your weight. Then spend an entire day giving extra attention, thought and effort to creating these outcomes. At the end of the day, you will have deepened your commitment to your program just by focusing harder on your goals.

Do one more day!

Any time you're tempted to give up on your dieting efforts, think about how much progress you've made so far. Then tell yourself this:

DON'T STOP NOW! Just do one more day!

By following through with that simple message, you'll immediately be another day closer to achieving your weight-loss goals. And each time you stay on track for one more day, you'll have moved further on the road toward a healthier life.

To read more about renewing motivation, see Day #41 in the book 100 Days of Weight Loss.

Copyright Linda Spangle, 2007. #1016, Weight Loss for Life, Inc.

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