By Erin Clinton, PR Director for Cooking Light magazine
I think one of the reasons I am the queen of yo-yo dieting is because I cut myself too much slack. I go strong for a few weeks, my clothes are looser, the numbers on the scale are lower, and everything's going well. So well, in fact, that I start slipping back into my old ways -- allowing myself that extra helping at dinner, that afternoon sweet treat, etc, etc, until my daily calories are back up in the 2,000s.
I need to realize: This is an ongoing process; I can't let up. Discipline isn't always my strong suit, I just have to learn to live with less. Less food, less wine, and just less is okay!
The tools we're using on the Social Diet really help keep me motivated and on track (when I let them). The single most powerful thing for me is MyFitnessPal's "Complete This Entry" button. When you're finished tracking for the day, you can hit that button and it will calculate how much weight you'd lose in five weeks if every day were like the day you just logged. Let me tell you, when I see that number and it's low, that motivates me to keep my calories in check the next day. I love it.
Also, if you're under the amount of calories you should be eating, MyFitnessPal reminds you to regularly meet your daily calorie goal or your body could go into "starvation mode" -- which essentially causes your body to hoard fat and slow metabolism.
I'm also really digging my UP band. I've realized that I'm pretty active throughout the day, despite that fact that I have a "desk job." The single best aspect of the UP band is the idle alert. In fact, as I sit here typing this post, I got a buzz on my wrist letting me know that I've been inactive for 30 minutes. Time to get up and get active.
What keeps you motivated to maintain your weight-loss and fitness goals? Share what works for you! Comment here, email letters@CookingLight.com and tweet @Cooking_Light using #SocialDiet.
Note: This post originally appeared on the Cooking Light blog, Simmer & Boil. Check in on their progress at CookingLight.com/WeightLoss.
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