You may be thinking about losing weight, but understand that changing your eating habits is difficult. We’ve all seen the people who suffer through a dieting. Losing weight is all about suffering, right? I don’t believe that and here’s why: who wants to suffer? If the change makes you suffer and you have trouble that means there’s something wrong with you? Not so. There’s nothing wrong with anything other than the method. Let’s step back a bit. How to change your diet without suffering requires some thought. What changes can you comfortably make now? As you adjust, what new changes can you make? All of those changes add up to a full lifestyle change. It’s a little bit of work, but everyone can do it.

Where does your diet stand right now? Are you a little off track or a lot? You need to know where you stand. It’s important because it will determine where you need to start to make a change.

Should I count calories? This is something that I believe depends on where you are. If you want to lose 5-10 lbs., then counting calories is key. If you have been eating way too many unhealthy calories for too long, I suggest not. At least not to start. If there is a big difference between the calories you should be eating and the number you are right now, counting calories can be downright stressful. The stress might lead to changes that are too big and may lead to failure. Make a small change instead. If you are drinking 12 cans of regular pop today, drink 8 or switch to something lower calorie or calorie free. Once you’ve made many small changes and are ready to count calories, do that.

Figure out what you can’t live without. I like a little something sweet every day. I eat a little bit of chocolate every day and I feel much better about eating healthy. Maybe it’s pasta for you. Whatever it is, find a way to work it into your healthy diet. Again, eating healthy is not about suffering and deprivation. When I eat chocolate, I eat only a measured amount. I don’t go crazy and eat an entire chocolate bar. But I don’t completely cut it out.

You are in control of your healthy eating habits. If you have friends and family who aren’t interested in changing their habits, worry only about yourself. People come around when they see how much better you feel. If they are particularly negative or pushy, you may have to stand up a little more strongly for yourself. That may mean skipping a get-together or a family meal. It sounds harsh, but you need to put up boundaries. Sometimes it’s hard for them when their love is through food.

On the flip side, make sure you aren’t the pushy one. What I’m talking about is when (if you’re on this site I do mean) when you show great weight loss progress, don’t get pushy on others. It’s great when things are working out for us and we want to share it with everyone. However, those who are not ready yet may get resentful. In my last post I said the first step in losing weight is to want to do it. If someone isn’t ready yet, they’re not ready. Being pushy doesn’t move them faster. When they ask you about your progress, then tell them and refer them to our site. What worked well for you might be a bit different for someone else.

Stay tuned to Your Level Best and we’ll show you how to develop your own plan to change your diet for good.