Over the last thirteen weeks of dieting, I have discovered a few things that may help just about anyone survive a diet. Now, I won’t lie and say that it was easy every day, but if you are truly dedicated to making changes, you can’t expect everything to be sunshine and roses.

1. End date

Having an end date and working toward that day is critical. An end date gives you some control and predictability. That in and of itself is beneficial in reducing stress in many types of situations. Knowing that you only have to endure feeling completely exhausted for another 48 hours can help keep you from cracking under the pressure. Otherwise, dieting just to diet makes you feel as if there is no end in sight.

2. Spicy water

If you love diet pop (or soda if you’re from the south) and find it hard to give up, then this is for you. Spicy water is what my kids call carbonated water. It has all the fizz as pop—but without the artificial sweeteners. And it is usually cheaper than name brand pop. Toss in some fresh squeezed lemon or lime and it will help kill your cravings.

3. Condiments

This is one I had to figure out very quickly. I normally would not use hot sauce on my eggs, but I needed something for my egg whites. Salsa, hot sauce, wing sauce—whatever I could find. I needed something low calorie but that would pack a flavorful punch. This included a number of dressings and even a zero-calorie (minimal calories) chocolate syrup by Walden Farms. Other favorites of mine were mustard, balsamic vinegar, and cinnamon.

4. Big ass salads

Restricted calories suck, but if you can eat a ton of greens, it will keep you from turning into Augustus Gloop. Find what you can to add crunch, flavor, protein, etc. And don't forget to change things up as often as possible in order to keep from getting bored.

5. Variety

It is easy to bake chicken breast and sweet potatoes all of the time...but that gets old really fast. It took me a few weeks, but I eventually figured out that changing the way I cooked the food made all the difference in the world.

Chicken:

  • Boil and shred
  • Cube and pan cook
  • Make kabobs
  • If I got rice, then stuffed green peppers are a nice change.

Sweet potato options:

  • Boil and mash
  • Baked
  • Cut into fries and bake

All options still produced the same food item, but they were different enough that I was never bored with my food choices.

6. Listening to my coach

If John Meadows told me to eat something, that is exactly what I did. His plan was his plan, and he had precise reasons as to why he had me do it. Whether or not I agreed or disagreed, I did it because it all fit into his plan. What's more, I did not declare a cheat meal because I would be at a party (some clients do this). Sometimes it was difficult (and I had to take 10 dishes of tupperware), but I did what I was told.

7. Paying someone

When you invest in a coach, you now have someone to answer to at the end of the day. It becomes more than "just about me." I wanted to make my coach proud because I now represented him and his services. If I cheated, gave up, lied, and/or tweaked what he said, I would do him a disservice. Use that time to learn as much as possible and don’t throw away your investment of time and money.