Dieting is a subject of much frustration to most people who have ever tried to lose weight. It is tempting to look for quick, painless ways to magically melt away the excess weight, but any method that seems too good to be true always is. There is no way to avoid the hard work that is necessary if one wants to lose weight and keep it off permanently.
Trusting Instincts
The seeming truism that breakfast boosts the metabolism is actually a myth. What is true is that breakfast sets the standard for one’s eating habits for the rest of the day. If an individual is hungry in the morning, he should eat breakfast. Those who are not hungry right away should not force themselves to eat. Learning how to interpret and respond to the body’s natural cravings is an important factor in being able to manage food intake.
Indulging Small Cravings
Eating treats will not undo all of the progress of a successful diet. In fact, having a small chocolate bar or other sweet snack when the craving strikes will help prevent binge eating in the future. Allowing for small snacks teaches a dieter how to incorporate healthy eating into his lifestyle once the diet is completed. Knowing that certain indulgent foods are not completely off-limits helps keep dieters motivated to stick to their eating plans because the chances of failure are lessened.
Counting Calories
Keeping track of calories is a good way to measure how much food is being eaten. Even if one’s diet plan is not concerned with numbers, it is helpful to count how many calories are consumed daily before a diet begins. This gives the dieter a concrete concept of how much he really has been eating. Many overweight people vastly underestimate the amount of food they eat. Putting a number on that food, at least initially, provides a starting point and makes it easy to set definitive goals. Eliminating five hundred calories from one’s daily intake will result in the loss of one kilogram every two weeks. This can be accomplished by drinking water instead of soda. Another simple substitution is plain coffee for a morning cappuccino or latte. Making substitutions will eventually become second nature. Skim milk can replace whole milk, just as reduced-fat salad dressings can imperceptibly replace the regular variety. Substitutions allow one to reduce his calorie intake without decreasing the amount of food he is eating.
Setting Realistic Goals
The most common reason for failed diets is frustration at not having lost weight quickly enough. Weight that is lost slowly and as the result of lifestyle changes is more likely to stay off than weight that is lost through the use of a fad diet or fasting cleanse. The dieter should only weigh himself once a week to ensure that minor fluctuations are not perceived as weight gain. A diet has a better chance of succeeding if it is undertaken to improve health than if the goal is simply to become thinner.
Author Bio: Paul is one of Australia’s most recognised personal trainers. One thing he believes is ignored too often is the need for fibre in your diet. Paul recommends all his clients eat high fibre foods or take a fibre supplement.
