Thinking about starting a diet soon? Dieting shouldn’t be a decision you make on a whim. It’s a commitment to be consistent with your actions in pursuit of a your goal. 

So before you hop into your next diet, make sure you really take the time to think about these things. 

And if you’re looking for some support along the way, I’m here for you! 

Question #1: How long have I spent at maintenance?

If you’ve been trying diets for as long as you can remember, you probably haven’t spent enough time at maintenance. Eating at maintenance gives your body, metabolism and mind an important break from the stress that a fat loss phase can bring.

Question #2: Does this fit my current season of life?

If you have two weeks of vacation, four family birthdays and a bachelorette party planned within the next 2 months, it’s probably not the best time for a diet. You could do it…but why do that to yourself? Save the diet for a quiter time of year. It can definitely wait.

Question #3: Can I be consistent with this?

Consistency looks like sticking to the plan 80-90% of the time. If you can only commit to consistency 50% of the time, you’re unnecessarily drawing out a process that’s already going to be challenging. Consistency is what gets you results.

Question #4: What’s my Why?

Some people want to lose weight because they think it will make them happier, but happiness is not on the other side of weight loss. You can be happy right now in your current body—that’s a choice. However, if your weight loss WHY is because you want to feel better, make better food choices and have more energy, then GO FOR IT!

Question #5: Do I have a post-diet plan?

When the diet ends, you need to know what to do next. Saying that you’ll end the diet when you feel like you’ve lost enough weight isn’t an option because it might take multiple phases of fat loss to do that. Set an end date, learn how to reverse diet and get back to maintenance. Fat loss will be an option again later.