Many of us have battled weight related problems our whole lives and are sick of the struggle. What we really want is to discover a diet where we can lose weight quickly and keep it off without having to eat salad every day and spend 7 hours a week in the gym. Studies have repeatedly shown that the typical dieter will lose around 20 pounds each time they go on a diet, only to gain it all back within 3 months. Not only is this discouraging, it can be harmful to your health.
Despite being bombarded with ads for miracle diets, there are quite a few solid, healthy and reasonable diet plans available that work. You have probably heard of The South Beach Diet. It has been recommended by many medical groups as being a healthy diet strategy that will help you keep weight off. Recently The DASH diet has been in the news because of the support it has in the medical community. Not only does it help you change your eating habits, it will also work with on to make lifestyle changes that will assist you in keeping that excess weight off forever. DASH has been shown to lead to a healthy weight loss.
Regardless of which diet plan you decide to go with, they will all strive to help you program your body to burn fat calories, a sure fire recipe for healthy weight loss. Each plan goes about this in different ways with different foods and exercise, but the goals are the same. A healthy weight loss should be your long term goal.
As you review different plans you will find some very similar rules that apply to all weight loss programs. Here are a few we recommend highly:
*Eat Breakfast
Breakfast is very important to any diet plan, it should get your metabolism fired up after a fasting period and sleep. People who skip breakfast or, worse, have a donut or Danish as the meal, usually suffer from higher rates of obesity. If you follow a smart diet plan and have whole grains and fruit as part of your breakfast you will start your day off great and start your diet off even better. A healthy weight loss almost always starts with a good breakfast.
* Drink Lots Of Water
While the ads on TV that tell you to drink 8 bottles of water a day came from a bottled water company, the idea is actually a good one for dieters. If you can replace all sodas and sugar-laden fruit juices with water you will cut hundreds of empty calories a day out of your diet. Drinking water also makes your stomach feel full and you won’t mistake a thirsty signal from your brain with a hungry signal.
* Watch Your Carb And Calorie Intake
It may sound really basic but if you pay close attention to the calorie count of the foods you eat you can control your weight. The same holds true with carbohydrates. By eliminating as many carbs as you can from your diet you will increase your rate of weight loss. If your body doesn’t have carbs to burn for energy it will burn fat, and that is your goal. Burning carbs means your body is leaving the fat alone and you will be stuck with it forever.
* Be Patient
Anyone who promises you overnight weight loss is lying to you. Healthy, smart weight loss takes time and if you rush it the odds increase that you will fail. You will need to change some lifestyle habits to achieve long term weight loss and this can be a long process. Rapid weight loss usually results in your metabolism dropping. When it begins to rise again, you feel very hungry and overeat. The weight returns and the cycle starts over again. As long as you keep your goal in mind you can live with the slow but study weight loss.
Here are a few other pointers that will help you as you continue on your diet plan:
Pay attention to your vitamin and mineral intake. You may need to add a multivitamin to your routine as you settle into new eating patterns.
Eat fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables. While many process foods taste good they often have ingredients that you don’t want to be eating. Many have very high levels of salt and sugar, and these amounts may be hidden in the ingredients list by the use of chemical terms to identify them.
Treat yourself in small ways so that you don’t feel constantly deprived. Almost every good diet plan has a list of healthy snacks and desserts (yes, desserts!) that you can indulge in once in a while.
A smart diet plan with the goal of long term weight loss is a process that will take time. Don’t rush and keep your eye on the prize.
