Starting a new diet can be many things. It can be overwhelming, it can be an adventure, and sometimes it can even be scary to embark on a new way of eating. When you go low carb, you are committing to not just a diet, but a life change. With a few bits of planning, you can ensure that you will be successful on your new diet.
1. Buy a set (or two) of measuring cups. I bought two sets at Walmart for 88 cents. They had everything from one quarter teaspoon all the way up to a cup. It's very important to be able to accurately measure your food, especially higher carb vegetables, cheese and heavy cream!
2. Get a copy of the plan you plan on following. Most people are not successful making it up as they go along. Most low carb plans are based on research, science and experience. You can often find copies of the most popular books such as Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution, the South Beach Diet, and Protein Power at used bookstores or used online for less than two dollars.
3. Get a recipe arsenal. One of the biggest keys to surviving your first week on any diet is to have an arsenal of recipes to fall back on so that you don't have a moment of "What should I eat?" There are millions of great websites with huge recipe collections.
4. Decide on how you will track your carbs. There are many ways you can count your carbs. You can do it the old fashioned way, using a pen and paper, or you can go high tech, using sites like Fitday, SparkPeople or the Daily Plate. There are even apps for iPhone, Blackberry and Android that can help you keep up with your calorie intake.
5. Plan your menu. The key to staying on track and staying on budget will be to plan ahead. Create your menu, decide what can be prepared ahead of time, like hard boiling eggs and baking bacon for a quick breakfast.
6. Invest in a water bottle. It's another five dollar investment, but you will reap rewards for years to come. Low carb diets are a diuretic, so drinking water is a must! It will be much easier to get your 64 ounces of water in a day, and be less tempted by a diet soda in the middle of the day.
7. Ask your friends and family for support. Being on a diet is so much easier when you have the support of your friends and family. In fact, you are much more likely to be successful if you have family and friends on your team.
8. Get a good multivitamin. A good multivitamin will make night and day difference in how you feel as your body adjusts to your new diet. It's also a good idea to get additional magnesium and potassium tablets for the first few weeks to fend off sleeplessness and leg cramps.
9. Prepare your kitchen. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, you are going to be cooking a lot more on a low carb diet. Part of preparing for that is getting your kitchen ready. Make sure your knives are sharp, your oven is clean, and you know where your mixing bowls are! If it's good weather (or you're like me), be sure to clean your grill! It will be so much easier to cook when you know where things are and your tools are prepared.
10. Buy a measuring tape. Not all results from a low carb diet can be seen on the scale. Sometimes the scale won't budge, but you will see inches gone. A measuring tape costs less than two dollars in the sewing section of your local discount store, or even cheaper at a dollar store.
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