Tips for Success

1. Do what's best for you. If you don't like spinach in your salad don't eat it. If you are eating things and doing things you don't like you won't continue because it feels too much like a diet that you are punishing yourself with.
2. Plan what you are going to eat before you eat it.
3. Look at this as a long journey. Give yourself a lot of time to reach your goals.
4. Build "treats" into your plan; whether it's popcorn, SF/FF pudding, smoothies, fruit, etc. so you don't feel you're missing out. Have tons of healthy snacks ready for when hunger strikes
5. Learn to look at the big picture. Maybe you're not eating and exercising as perfectly as you want, but compare what you're doing now to what you were doing & it's motivating.
6. Eat a wide variety of foods every day. That way you will not get bored, and you will take in more nutrients. Also you will find that you will be less likely to crave things that are unhealthy.
7. Try to get in at least your minimum amount of fruits and vegetables every day. Also try to have at least 3 servings of a high calcium food
8. Don't be in a big hurry. You didn't gain weight overnight, and it won't come off overnight. Count it as a success if your weight goes down, no matter how slowly.
9. Learn to eat mindfully. Pay attention to every bite you eat.
10. Monitor your thoughts as carefully as your weight. Weight loss begins in the mind. If you believe you will be successful, and are prepared to do what it takes, you will be. Treat yourself as a splendid work in progress.
11. Keep it simple. Don't dance on the perimeter, trying to see how close you can get to eating non-core foods without counting. Do what's in the food guide. There is so much room for creativity within the allowed core foods.
12. Be patient at first. If you were eating a lot of 'junk' there will be a detox period where you will miss all that stuff and even crave it.
13. Know your own trigger foods. They may even be core foods. Whatever it is, don't go there.
14. Keep it simple. Don't get wrapped around brand names. Use the basic core list found either online or in the getting started book. If it falls into those parameters, it's Core.
15. Eat a balanced meal or minimeal. A protein, a grain, a dairy, a fruit and veggie or multiple veggies will ensure you get maximum nutrition and stop hunger and cravings. It is amazing how our minds stop demanding what it thinks it "wants" when we give our bodies what they need.
16. Also (I guess this is 2 more things) - you should not use your 35 wpa's for sweets and things that are totally junk. Use your wpa's wisely - perhaps for whole grain breads, maybe a low fat instead of fat free cheese, etc. If you don't totally eliminate the sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and white flour from your diet, at least in the beginning, you will still have the cravings and will find the program difficult.
17. Enjoy the process! That might sound strange to talk about enjoying a "diet" but you will enjoy some of the best foods on the planet eating CORE foods. Try new foods or new ways of preparing the old standbys. I have discovered stuff I never heard of and they are part of my list of new favorites.