Question of the week: How Do I Stay Motivated?

The following question was posted by one of my readers, "I have diabetes and I'm having trouble staying consistent and motivated. I'm usually good for about 2 weeks and then I go back to my old ways of eating and lack of exercise. How can I stay motivated?"

It isn't easy to change habits, especially those that we have had for a long time. The key is to start small, and once you see yourself succeed, you'll have the motivation to continue.

Try the following to help with motivation and to stay consistent:

Set short term goals that are attainable.
**For example, instead of setting a goal to workout an hour per day or to go to the gym everyday, set a goal to work out 3 or 4 times per week. However, you can start "small" and work your way up. When you see yourself succeeding at the 3 or 4 days, you will feel motivated.

**Another example, would be instead of setting a goal saying that you are going to stop eating ice cream (for example) everyday, set a goal that you will allow yourself a low calorie frozen portioned dessert (i.e. Skinny Cow, Weight Watchers Frozen Treat) a couple of times a week or allow yourself one 1-Cup portion of ice cream on the weekend and one during the week.

Another way to stay consistent (and stay motivated) is to keep a journal or make a chart of your successes. Get a blank notebook, date the page, and list all the positive choices that you made that day. For example, I could list that on a particular day:
*I skipped eating a slice of cake at the company party
*I exercised for an hour on the treadmill
*I took the stairs instead of the elevator at the office
* I drank 8 glasses of water throughout the day
* I had 3 pieces of fruit during the day
*I used skim milk instead of half and half in my coffee

As you look back on your successes and positive choices, you'll find that you stay motivated!

Day One! Where to Begin?

It is Day One and you are about to embark on a lifestyle change. Diet is a dirty word - diets do not work. You are not looking at the short-time. It is all about making small achievable steps.

The first thing I suggest is to keep a food journal - nothing fancy, a spiral notebook will do. At the top of each page, write the date and write down everything that passes your lips. All beverages, condiments, and foods. Try to make a good approximation of the amounts you are eating as well.


This is the first step in taking a step back and determining where substitutions can be made. Notice I didn't say eliminating, I said substituting. Once you are aware of what you are consuming, then we can proceed.


The first topic I would like to cover is portion sizes which will be helpful to you to keep an accurate assessment in your food journal. For the last three decades the amount of food purchased in pre-packaged form or served at a restaurant to be eaten in one sitting has ballooned to such an extent that the average person has no concept of what constitutes a sensible portion. Think: Big Gulp, Triple Whopper, All You Can Eat Buffet, Bottomless Bowl of Breadsticks. As a result many of us have started to underestimate the amount of food we eat in a sitting.


The following is a portion control size guide with common visual cues:

3 oz of Beef, Chicken or Fish is equal to the size/width of a deck of cards, checkbook or the palm of your hand.

1/2 cup is equivalent to a golf ball or 1/2 of a tennis ball.

1 cup is equivalent to your fist or a tennis ball.

1 oz (of cheese) is equivalent to approximately 4 dice.

1 Tbsp of peanut butter, butter, or salad dressing is equal to the size of your thumb.

Your thumb tip or the size of one die is equal to approximately 1 Tsp.


Watching your portions is one of the easiest ways to cut back on calories although it can be one of the most challenging.