One of the surest ways to derail a weight loss program is to set unrealistic goals. Once a person has taken the mental step necessary to begin dieting, there is a strong desire to be rid of excess pounds all at once. This is an understandable approach but unfortunately, not a very effective one.
In order to stay healthy, it is unwise to try to shed more than one or two pounds per week. Losing weight at a faster pace may suggest a loss of water weight, which is not really true weight loss. Or it might be a sign of what’s called ‘yo-yo dieting’ where a lot of weight is lost, but it returns the moment the dieter terminates whatever extreme program was being tried.
Choosing to go on a diet is a big decision, requiring commitment and a fresh mindset. It also requires researching which are the best rated diets for weight loss, deciding on a meal plan, devising an exercise regimen and setting realistic goals.
One of the first steps is to decide how much of your total weight you would like to lose. Five to ten percent of your starting weight is a likely amount to begin with. So if you weigh 220 pounds, then your maximum goal should be 22 pounds of weight lost. And if it is lost at the upper rate of two pounds per week, then you’re looking at an 11-week program.
Sometimes, going on a diet requires giving away virtually all the foods that are in one’s pantry and refrigerator. It may require changing long-standing habits, such as eating right before bedtime. And it may even require finding a new source for one’s groceries. If the thought of counting calories, devising menu plans and scrutinizing ingredients is overwhelming, there are discount codes for eDiets that can be used to have healthy, balanced meals delivered right to your doorstep.
Once the diet is over, that should not be an invitation to immediately revert to one’s former eating habits. Ideally, after eating a healthy diet for several months and especially after experiencing exercise, the new habits will be ingrained to the extent that the desire for fatty foods has disappeared and a day without exercise feels ‘wrong,’ like something is missing.
Exercise causes the brain to generate endorphins, morphine-like substances that produce a sense of well-being. That’s why if a person is upset or depressed, exercise can help to wash all cares away. Conversely, lack of exercise may be a self-reinforcing condition for obesity, since the lack of activity creates depression, and with depression comes a lack of desire to exercise, and an urge to eat fattening foods.
It clearly isn’t the easiest thing in the world to succeed at losing weight, since obesity has become a worldwide epidemic. However, it is hopeful that once a dieter passes a certain point, relapse becomes less and less likely.
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