Things You'll Need:
- A current weight loss plan
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Step 1
Consider the exercise assumptions you made to create your weight loss plan. Did you plan your diet assuming that you'd work out 30 minutes a day every day, but find that you have problems working out more than twice a week? Did you assume that you are doing high-intensity workouts for an hour, but really your workouts are only 40 minutes of moderate-intensity, with 10 minutes of light warm-up/cool-down at the start and end of your workout? It's very easy for us to assume that we are more active than we actually are, and so we might unintentionally allow ourselves more calories than we need.
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Step 2
Similarly, look at your portion sizes. Oftentimes we eyeball our portion sizes and serve much more than we should be eating. If you aren't weighing or measuring your portions, do so for one week to confirm that you are measuring correctly (or to correct yourself if you're not).
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Step 3
Check the ingredients that you're using. If a recipe calls for whole grain pastas or skim milk, but you're using refined pastas and whole milk, you're adding calories that aren't accounted for in your diet plan.
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Step 4
Think honestly about what you are eating. Are you conveniently forgetting that little dessert, or a small pat of butter on your bread? If desserts or other treats aren't calculated into your diet, consider planning them into your diet in order to avoid unplanned temptations. If they are added to your diet, consider step 2 (portion sizes) for those treats and make sure you aren't considering your acceptance of treats as a license to indulge without limits.
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Step 5
Don't forget "pop-ups" and social events. Perhaps there's a spontaneous team-building lunch that you couldn't include in your diet, or your co-worker brings his/her world-famous death-by chocolate brownies. Don't ignore those things, but don't deny yourself those things either. Just consider your diet plan, and eliminate similar items that you've already planned for that day or for later in the week. Perhaps skip your desserts for the next two days if you have a large brownie, or eat the salad you packed for lunch at dinnertime, instead of the pasta you had planned for that night.
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Step 6
Once more, consider exercise. If you aren't exercising right now, add that to your weight loss plans. You'll burn more calories and keep your metabolism from slowing down. Often, people who exercise claim that they're less motivated to eat unhealthy foods and tend to crave good-for-your meals and snacks.
