Amy lost 54 lbs in 4 months by eating low carb and changing her attitude towards food. She has an online cooking show called Eating Low with Amy that teaches people how to cook low hassle, low carb recipes. She also runs the Eating Low web site and forum.
You’ve got the latest diet book. You’ve read it from cover to cover. You’re psyched up and ready to go. Or are you? Preparation is one of the keys to successfully losing weight and is especially important when you are starting a new plan.
Make sure you understand the diet guidelines. Even if you think you know what the plan is all about, go back and reread the guidelines again. The better you understand the plan, the easier it will be to shop for the right foods or even stay on plan if you are caught without your planned food and need to eat out.
Get rid of food that is not on your plan. Don’t even keep it in the house. It’s too easy to cheat if you keep a bunch of junk in your pantry. If your family eats food that is not on your plan, store it in a separate cabinet or have them hide the junk from you.
Make out your menu for the week. Most plans offer sample menus. Go through the sample menu and make any substitutions. Write out your plan so you know exactly what you will be eating during the week. You don’t want any surprises.
Write up a grocery list using the menu you created. Include all the items you need to make the food that is planned for the week. Don’t forget the extras that can make dieting easier. Ziploc bags are essential for portioning out food into single servings. Stock up on storage containers if you don’t have enough to store your food.
Make the food that’s on your menu. For me, it’s easiest to cook on a Sunday and then immediately divide my meal into individual servings and store them in containers. When I leave for work the next day, my food is ready and waiting in its storage container.
A food scale is handy for weighing out portions, especially in the beginning when you may not be familiar 
with what 3 oz. of chicken or 4 oz. of fish looks like. Once you know what a portion looks like, you’ll be able to control your portion size just by eyeballing it, even if you are eating out!
If you’ve had a successful week of weight loss, repeat that menu to keep up with your success. By slightly modifying the recipe or substituting one flavor for another, you’ll keep on losing without getting bored.
By following these simple tips, you’ll be preparing yourself for success on your diet!
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I like the idea of getting the bad food out of your house. Just remove that temptation and do yourself a favor!
Thanks for the post!
All the Best,
Andrew R
I was going to say that Andrew! With kids, it is bad because they have to have their snacks, so I find myself eating their food.