Don't Let 'Diet Drop-Off Day' Happen Today

This Market Wire story notes a new survey that says the desire to remain on a New Year's resolution to lose weight officially ends at 9:20 p.m. on February 3rd!

Uh-oh, I guess you had better start motivating yourself NOW to keep that from happening, huh?

The New Year's Dieting Resolution online survey of 1,961 women from the CyberPulse™ Advisory Panel ages 25-55 was conducted in November 2005 by South Beach Diet products from Kraft Foods and found that diets beginning on January 1 usually fizzle out after just 4.7 weeks, or February 3. At this time, the dieter is usually frustrated and hungry that she goes back to her old eating habits and the vicious cycle continues on year after year.

To tackle that inevitability this year, the South Beach Diet™ line of foods from Kraft® has come up with these five excellent tips to keep you on your weight loss plan so you can be the success you were meant to be:

1. Don't Limit the Types of Food You Eat

For the majority of the women surveyed (88 percent), the most important consideration when selecting a diet is finding one that lets them eat a wide variety of foods. The South Beach Diet is a weight-loss plan that encourages people to eat a variety of foods, such as lean sources of protein, reduced fat cheeses and dairy products, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and right fats like olive and canola oil.

2. Get By With A Little Help from Your Friends

Women (63 percent) look for feedback on dieting from their friends and family. Whether they look to others who have had success on past diets, or build social networks among women with similar goals, support is critical to a diet plan. Need a little help? Visit SouthBeach.com for tips and tools to plan a healthy lifestyle as well as a support network of fellow dieters.

3. No Need to Count Calories

The least important consideration, for less than 20 percent of those surveyed, was following a diet that requires calorie-counting and measuring portion sizes. However, most people trying to lose weight start by counting calories -- even weighing and measuring out precise portions.

4. You Can't Touch That

One of the biggest downfalls of dieting is feeling deprived of favorite foods. According to the survey, dieters (39.4 percent) are least likely to sacrifice sweets and desserts in their new diets, followed by carbohydrates (22 percent) and pizza (21 percent). Luckily, The South Beach Diet encourages followers to eat the right carbs and right fats and enjoy a variety of foods.

5. Make It Easy

Survey participants (41.6 percent) report that a diet including convenience products such as frozen entrees, cereal bars, etc., ranks as one of the top three priorities when selecting a diet. Kraft offers convenient options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacking with its South Beach Diet line of foods. From cereal to cereal bars, frozen entrees to pizza, sandwich wrap kits to salad dressings, and cookies and snack crackers, there are more than 35 options to choose from.

These are great words of advice for anyone who wants to break the cycle and avoid the "diet drop-off day" blues! If the clock is ticking away and you feel tempted to give up your weight loss plan, always remember you can begin anew tomorrow because it's a new day.

You've got your whole life ahead of you to be the healthy, thin person you've always wanted to be. Grab it for yourself and make it happen. If I can take this former 400+ pound body of mine and whip it into shape by shedding over 180 pounds off my body, then you can lose what YOU need to lose, too!

YOU CAN DO IT! I believe in you and KNOW the success is just around the corner for you. If you need a personal word of encouragement, then don't hesitate to e-mail me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. It's hard, yes, but it's so worth it in the end! MAKE IT HAPPEN!