Weight loss
There is no greater reason to diet than for your personal health and well being. Those of us who are overweight know better than most the risks and possible consequences that may result because of our weight.
Much like smokers however, the risks do not always seem quite so cut and dry until we reach our very own turning point.
Whether your eating habits are born of an addiction to certain foods, an emotional need, or years of learned behavior and conditioning things will not change until you completely adjust your eating habits and your lifestyle choices.
Dieting for many has become a lifestyle in and of itself with people rapidly flip-flopping or yo-yoing from one diet to another with little success and growing despair over a sheer lack of results.
The truth is that until you decide to forgive yourself for your failures and get right back on the wagon, so to speak, after falling off no diet is going to be successful.
A simple diet isn’t going to magically make the pounds disappear and constantly depriving yourself of those things you enjoy most may have a more detrimental effect than a positive effect.
The number one thing most people need to learn is that dieting isn’t always a good thing. What most people who are overweight need more than anything else is to incorporate positive lifestyle changes into their daily routines.
People scoff at the notion of taking the stairs or parking farther away and yet those are perfectly plausible methods of working a little more physical activity into your day. If those do not work for you how about learning to dance?
Seriously, there are beginner dance classes in most communities that will welcome and invite dances of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels if you are willing to make the effort. What a great way to get fit, learn something new, and have fun without feeling deprived.
Another great thing about an activity such as a dance class (consider ballroom dancing with your significant other) is that you are not eating or tempted to eat during the time that you are dancing in most cases.
Another great thing is that you are burning those calories you didn’t eat. If dancing isn’t your thing, try joining a walking club or finding another hobby.
Anything that gets you on your feet and away from the temptation of your refrigerator is a good thing when it comes to dieting and weight loss. You cannot lose a significant amount of weight by dieting alone.
You must incorporate physical fitness into your daily routine in order to achieve those immediate and visually stunning results that many dieters are hoping to achieve.
Another pitfall when it comes to dieting is that people give up far too quickly.
Just as the results are beginning and progressing people get tired of the process or frustrated that they aren’t accomplishing enough dramatic weight loss as quickly as they had hoped and give up all together marking off yet another failure when they could have achieved greater success than ever before if they had stuck with their original diet plan a little longer.
One more thing you should remember when it comes to dieting is that the scale can be your best friend or your worst enemy when dieting.
If you are weighing yourself every day in hopes of watching the scale tick off yet another pound you are dooming yourself to failure.
You will never achieve the results you are hoping for if you are going into depressive bouts of Rocky Road or Chunky Monkey every night because you didn’t lose 10 pounds overnight.
When it comes to dieting there are very few diets that work. There are however, many lifestyle changes that when practiced consistently and aggressively will work.
The thing to remember is that you are the one who must work because it is quite unlikely that any diet will.
How to Choose the Right Diets that Works for You
If you are looking for diets that work, you may be overwhelmed by the choices you have out there which you can choose from to help you lose weight fast.
Almost all of these diet programs have their own techniques and dozens of testimonials testifying to their effectiveness. So how do you choose the right diets that work for you?
Here are some tips to help you out!
Tip#1: Types of Food
Before you choose a particular diet program, make sure you know the types of food they use and whether it appeals to your own palates.
If you have an affinity for sweet foods then obviously the Dr Atkins Diet would not be ideal for you. But these are perfect for those who love the protein meals of the Dr Atkins Diet program.
Tip#2: Variety of Foods
It is also important to have a variety of foods to eat during the entire course of the weight loss program.
If you are restricted to one type of food all along, it won’t be long before you feel a strong urge to give up simply because you are bored and wish for more variety.
Tip#3: Exercise
All kinds of effective diet programs must have some form of exercise regime incorporated into the program. There can be no enduring weight loss without some form of exercise program included.
Tip#4: Dietary Pattern
Is the program focused on the short term gain without much emphasis on the long-term maintenance of your weight?
The ideal dietary pattern should be inculcated into your eating habits so you would focus more on the new dietary pattern instead of the short term starvation.
Tip#5: Stress Management
A good choice of diets that work would place a considerable emphasis on effective stress management.
Proper stress management is important to be able to sustain long-term results.
Tip#:6: Lifestyle Changes
A good diet program requires some substantial lifestyle changes to give you sustainable and lasting results from the program.
Tip#7: Food Substitutes
If you are required to omit your favorite foods from your menu during the duration of the diet program, ask to see if there are any types of food that you equally enjoy that can be included into the list.
Tip#8: Prepare own Meals
If the program requires you to prepare your own meals, ask yourself if you have the time to do this or if you simply wish to purchase pre planned meals that are specially prepared for those on the diet program.
There are plenty of diet programs around that have this special facility and they offer specially prepared delicious meals you can enjoy in the right portion to help you lose eight easily.
Tip#9: Record Keeping
Check to see if the program requires you to keep your own record or if they do have some form of mechanism to track your progress.
Ideally, you need professional supervision from an expert so you know what to do if you are not getting the result you had hoped for when you first join the program.
Tip#10: Occasional Treats
Finally, check to see if you can cheat occasionally during the weight loss program.
It is common to slacken down a bit especially when you are making progress so you don’t want to have to start all over again just because you missed out or eat more than you should during special moments such as Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Camille McClellan, MD, DNM, MBS
Naturopathic practitioner
McClellan Natural Health, Wellness & Nutrition
Free Naturopathic/Homeopathic Consults Available