Friday, January 1, 2010

Standard Dieting Doesn't Do It


Are you trying to lose weight? Did you experience some weight gain over the holiday season? Have you tried a diet pill for weight management and fat loss and seen no results? Or even worse, gained more weight than you lost to start with?

If you are failing at weight loss, whatever you have been trying, perhaps it’s not your fault. Do you have the information you need to make smart decisions about diets, exercise plans and supplements? There are many ways to lose weight. Do you want fast weight loss, fast fat loss and diets that work? You need to know what your options are.

Do you qualify and quantify your goals when it comes to weight loss? Most people don’t, which is why they set up unrealistic expectations for themselves and end up failing. Failing to plan is planning to fail, which is why information is a key factor.

Most people who want to lose weight say they would like to look better or feel better, and that losing weight would accomplish that for them. Yet, is that enough motivation to stick to a rigorous diet and exercise plan? Vanity is a good motivator, but understanding the long term dangers of being overweight may be what tips the scales in your favor, when it comes to establishing long term patterns and a healthier lifestyle, in general.

When setting goals, it is rare that someone thinks of changing their lifestyle or habits for the long term. We live in the moment and think that making temporary changes will accomplish immediate results and if we lapse back into bad behavior, we can always repeat what we did to win in the short run. Does the term yo-yo diet sound familiar? Did you know that most people who lose weight dieting alone, usually gain back more weight than they lost, within one year? That’s a sure fire plan for disaster!

It is up to you to understand the options available to you and to decide which of those options you can adopt long term, to become successful at achieving your goals. There is no silver bullet for weight loss I’m afraid, other than your own attitude. If you can make a decision to change your habits and commit to that change, you can succeed at accomplishing your goals. Small changes can yield big results, over time, if you let them.

Problem is, most people don’t let them. How often have you started a
diet or weight loss plan, or sworn off drinking, or started an exercise plan, just to fall short because you cheated yourself by having dessert, couldn’t resist that next glass of wine at dinner, or hit the gym too hard and pulled something or were too sore to continue?

That’s normal behavior, so why would you beat yourself up about it and quit? Nobody said it was going to be easy, nobody expects you to be perfect and nobody wants you to change your personality in order to accomplish your goals.

The truth of the matter is, you’re not likely to change your habits until you start seeing results, which means you need to either keep at it for a while, or you need a kick-start.

If you want to see fast results, then perhaps colon cleanse treatments, body wraps and supplements like acai berry products are a good way for you to kick start your new regimen. But you already know that your diet or weight loss plan and exercise routine will need to change if you want the results to last. But remember, the term “supplement” already tells you that, whatever it is, it won’t work on its own, though it can sometimes significantly increase your gains when used properly.

That is why it’s important for you to understand the 80-20 rule. Realize that you’re going to slide. You’re going to indulge yourself, you’re going to skip exercising and you’re going to feel guilty. That’s normal and that’s healthy. If you can do the right things and eat the right things, eighty percent of the time, the other twenty percent won’t bother your progress. If you can do better than 80-20, your gains, or losses, will be that much faster.

Controlling your weight means controlling your habits. That comes with making informed decisions about your lifestyle and knowing that you can succeed in maintaining changes to achieve your goals. Don’t run until you know how far and how long you can walk. Don’t lift weights until you know what kind of band resistance is right for you. Don’t start eating celery sticks if switching to more chicken and fish does what you want it to. If you like to drink beer, try switching to mixed drinks or wine.

Understand that weight is just a number. Understand how that number relates to how you look and feel. If you gain muscle mass, your weight will increase, at least temporarily, until your metabolism adjusts to your new routine and starts dissolving the fat. Is it more important that the number went down, or that you feel stronger and can go farther, or can climb the stairs without getting winded? Listen to your body, not to your scale.

So, remember, small changes can make a big difference over time and are pretty easy. Big changes are harder but make a bigger difference faster. You’re only human and you didn’t get the way you are, overnight. Change takes time, and it takes courage. But if you have the courage, and you take the time, you’ll have more time when you’re done, and you’ll enjoy that time more.

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