10 steps for a successful diet

Get inspired for a healthy diet or improve your existing one.

1. Start strong. Make the start date of your new program a special date. Clean your kitchen of unhealthful products, get your workout gear in order and create a calender where you can list your accomplishments. Ex: on Day 1 you might write that you walked for 30 minutes, mediated for 15 minutes, ate 3 pieces of fruit, etc...
2. Eat your morning meal. Have breakfast within 1 hour of getting up in the morning. It stokes your metabolism and makes it easier to make healthier choices throughout the day.
3. Curb your appetite. Drink a large glass of water 15-20 minutes before a meal. Water detioxifies and rejuvenates your body and helps prevent overeating by making you feel full.
4. Stop after 7:00pm. To see rapid changes in your body shape, establish a habit of not eating after 7:00 pm. To drop some weight quickly, stop eating after 3:00 pm, with the exception of a piece of fresh fruit, vegetable juice or tea.
5. Feel your hunger. Snack only when hungry, not when bored, depressed or tired. Remember, eat to live, don't live to eat. To prevent overeating, cultivate an appreciation for quality versus quantity in your food and lifestyle choices (except for leafy greens and vegetables. Eat plenty!). Chosing quality over quantity enriches your life. Less is more to those who are wise and evolved. 
6. Go light. When you are hungry and don't have much time, opt for low-calorie snacks that are quick and nourishing, such as freh fruits and vegetables. If you crave more substance, add a few raw seeds or nuts, but no more than 1 oz. at a time if you have more than 10 pounds to lose.
7. Eat what you like. There are many delicious, healthy foods to chhose, so don't eat what you don't like. Nothing makes a food program more difficult than forcing yourself to eat foods you don't care for.
8. Slow down. Eat slowly enough to give your body time to release the enzymes that tell your brain when you've had all you need. Inhaling food instead of eating consciously and deliberately causes indigestion and gas.
9. Don't give up. Falling off your health program once or twice does not mean the effort is hopeless. Simply acknowledge that you didn't eat wisely and get back on the program. If you make nutrient-rich whole foods (uncooked and unprocessed, whenever possible) the centerpiece of your diet, you will quickly learn to prefer these natural delights to less healthful choices.
10. Reward yourself. Treat yourself to a massage, a movie, or a new piece of clothing for each week that you faithfully complete your health program, lose weight or accomplish some other goal.

"The healing power of nature foods" by Susan Smith Jones