I'm riding the curse of the extra brownie(s) this morning. No wonder the scale mocks me. An extra brownie or two makes me very mockable. Nyah, nyah! Brownies can really wreck a diet. Here's the thing, though--
#41 - Don't Diet
"Diets" are typically thought of as SHORT TERM EVENTS. Unless your life is a short term event, you're going to get fat again once you stop dieting. For me, it's been better to focus on adapting a healthier eating pattern that I can sustain for the long run- that is, the rest of my life. And guess what? I can have a brownie if I want. I can have anything I want as long as I maintain an overall pattern of moderation and sustained exercise.
#42 - Create Habits
Good ones this time. It takes about three weeks for me to start doing things habitually- it's just making it through that initial three weeks- especially when it is something that requires real effort. Once my subconscious was wired toward the new habit, watch out, it was hard not to do it. This really helped when it came to going to the gym on nasty days, avoiding sweets, and eating certain vegetables.
I love tip #41. I think not dieting has been one of the factors that has helped me lose weight. Moderation is key.