January 10, Day 10 of new year

Don't expect perfection. You will mess up, make mistakes, and forget along the way. The key is persistence and a willingness to learn from your mistakes. Focus on what you have done right instead of dwelling on the negative.
Words to live by EVERYDAY!!!

Diet Truth #1: A Diet isn't Something You Go On and Off

By one estimate, up to 95% of dieters will regain the weight they lose. And, in some cases, the dieter will yo-yo to a heavier weight than what they were when they started the diet. 

For a diet to be effective, it has to involve a lifestyle change – one that you can stick with. (SparkPeople.com (use me as a reference ;D)  ahem.)

A diet is not something you go on, then go off after you've dropped a few pounds. The definition of diet is simply “the usual food and drink of a person or animal.” So to lose weight and keep it off you need to consume food and drink that promotes health, not deprivation. 

Pick a lifestyle you can see yourself still following and enjoying when you are 80.

Diet Truth #2: You Can Lose Weight Without Exercise BUT...

We've all tried dieting on and off for years, I would wager to bet. The best results I have enjoyed are when I use the one-two punch of diet and fitness to slim down and tone up.

Yes, you can lose weight with diet only. No, you can't lose weight by working out but eating poorly. But you will lose weight more effectively if you combine a healthy diet with regular exercise.

Exercise boots your ability to burn fat. Studies show that the muscle you build through fitness will continue to burn calories even after you've stopped working out!

Diet Truth #3: It's All About the Calories

Low-fat... high-protein... vegetarian... flexitarian... The list of diets goes on and on. But recent studies have proved that it really doesn't matter what type of diet you follow.  Pick the one that appeals most to you – the one you can stick with for life – because the bottom line is all about reducing calories and burning more calories than you consume!

YES FOLKS, THAT IS THE SIMPLE SECRET TO EFFECTIVE WEIGHT LOSS:  EATING FEWER CALORIES THAN YOU BURN!

An effective weight maintenance plan then is eating the same number of calories that you burn through normal body functions and exercise.

Diet Truth #4: Slip is Gonna Happen

Trying to remain perfect while following a diet is setting yourself up for failure. You didn't gain your extra weight overnight and you aren't going to lose it quickly either. There will be slips on your way to a healthier weight. DON'T EVER QUIT!

Rather than throw in the napkin and quit when a binge happens, pick yourself up, dust off the crumbs and climb back on the dieting wagon.

Being “good” and following a healthy lifestyle the majority of the time should be your goal. You're in for the long haul to improve your life!

There will always be temptation, so learn to give yourself a few guilt-free passes for those occasions you eat more than you should.