Step one to a new lifestyle. It seems there is always the latest frenzy of diets. Brand name diets come and go as quickly as Octomom is having babies. Then there are the "Extreme" diets. I would say over 95% of diets out there work. I do question ones health on extreme diets that adervitise losing 7-10 pounds per week; when a healthy weight loss should be no more than 2-3 pounds a week. The problem with the word "DIET" is that you can't stay on them forever. One could end up with serious health issues staying on an "Extreme" diet over the recommended length of time. Forget the diets, forget the calorie counting unless you're a professional athlete. How about a lifestyle change. Make a decision, a promise to change the way you're eating, to excersie consistently, to have a new LIFESTYLE on your own health. Start by a decision. Write your goals down on a 3 x 5 card and place it on your bathroom mirror. The goals should be: How much do you want to weigh. When do you want to achieve the new weight. Be realistic on the time issue. You shouldn't be losing anymore than 2-3 pounds a week after your first 2 weeks of your new lifestyle. Take a head to toe photo. Take measurements of arms, chest, waist, hips (if female) and thighs. Get serious, take your lifestyle by the horns.
Hi Ericksmadhouse, I agree; it's definitely a lifestyle change rather than a diet per se. I've seen lots of people roller coaster for years going from one diet to the next. They eat a lot of sweets in between "diets" and wonder why they gain all the weight back that they just lost. ~Newbie Shield~
You must change the way you think about food. Read the labels onthe packages. We are so fortunate in this day and age that everything is labeled but so many ignore them. I also think sodas diet or otherwise are one of our main culprits in our nutritionand weight loss. You are very right in saying it is a lifestyle change.
Lifestyle change is a need to start a healthy way of losing weight. Living a sedentary lifestyle not only predisposes one to a lot of diseases but it also does not help you have the weight loss that you aim. After you have started a lifestyle change, it is the time to focus on your diet. Avoid easy-to-prepare foods especially foods from the fast foods. Avoid junkfoods as well. They give no right nutrients to your body.Eat a balanced diet. You can eat frequently but in small amounts. Never skip meals. It just predisposes you to develop ulcers. It takes enough determination to do all these. Think of the end results for your body!
I truly agree! The thing that happens is once you have reached your goal, you slowly find yourself giving your self rewards for doing so and in time the weight keeps coming back. You must stick with what got you to this goal and the only way is to change your lifestyle. I have found some of the foods I enjoyed before reaching my goal seem to make me ill if I eat them now.
If anyone wants to lose weight, I'd highly suggest reading Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, or purchasing the Body Fat Solution. Both books are by the same author, Tom Venuto, and I've lost 23 pounds by following his advise. And yes...they are about making lifestyle changes, rather than trying to follow some silly trend diet.
Lifestyle change is definitely the key to weight loss just make sure to incorporate an exercise program as it is the fountain of youth.
Eating poorly, smoking, sitting on the couch watching TV or surfing the web are not lifestyles. People catagorize them as such but they are not. They are habits. They are not about life and there is nothing stylish about wasting away.
jeffathome: Lifestyle change is definitely the key to weight loss just make sure to incorporate an exercise program as it is the fountain of youth. I agree, and well said. Unfortunately, lifestyle change is a formidable problem for many overweight people - about as painless as amputating a limb. The weight loss industry knows it all too well. The industry cannot cure the disease, it can only soothe the symptom [temporarily]. Which happens to be more profitable
It's about an attitude change. Change your attitude toward certain aspects of your life and it will be easier to make adjustments and stick to them.
It is absolutely a lifestyle change because that incorporates clean eating and exercise. Change the way you think about your food...don't call it a diet. Diet is programmed in your brain to be deprivation...deprivation makes you want to cheat.
tmorrison: Re-programming the mind. I totally agree with this! When you do something like controlled diet and extreme workouts but deep in yourself you don't like it, what you get is STRESS. With proper mindset of changing lifestyle or of any activity, everything will just be fun. Learn to LOVE the things that you do. If you can't love them, don't do them.
This is true. Your attitude is everything. You have to decide if liking something is relevant and if it is, then you must find somthing you like. If whether or not you like something is irrelevant, then you have the mind set to embark on many more fitness regimen options. In either case, you need to understand who you are and what you are willing to do, while anticpating a certain, realistic, regimen experience.
You are right on the money with this! There are far too many people who will go on a crazy diet, come off of it and gain the weight back, and repeat. People need to realize they have to change their eating habits and exercise daily in order to keep the weight off! Good post.
Statistics show that if you don't make changes in food choices and exercise, you will regain your weight no matter what type of weight loss methods you are using. Joseph
