Although dieting shouldn’t become an obsession, having a healthy weight is the foundation of good health and is a healthy goal to have. Reducing body fat requires making changes; it won’t happen on its own. However, a weight loss plan should be a carefully considered process.
Your Weight Loss Plan-Lifestyle Change
The diet chosen needs to one that provides optimum nutrition. This shouldn’t be a problem, as many people who are overweight have high-calorie but low-nutrition inputs. A well-chosen diet plan can provide good nutrition but still help to reduce body fat.
A good plan will also be one that is less a diet than it is a lifestyle. That is, not something to lose some weight with, then return to bad old ways. One tempting trap is trying to lose too much too soon, essentially, a starvation diet.
Do Not Fall For Rapid Weight Loss Gimmicks
Regardless of how attractive rapid weight loss may seem, doing so puts you at risk of gaining the weight back just as fast. It can also cause some serious health problems. Medical research shows that rapid weight loss may put people at risk of heart problems, and dehydration issues.
Plan To Lose Weight Steadily
Whether your goal is to lose a certain number of pounds to make yourself feel better when you look in the mirror or whether you are doing it for your health, make sure you lose weight steadily for the best and most long-lasting results.
To lose weight steadily and keep it off long-term, you must address the root of your initial weight gain problem – and that is to look at your habits. The secret to long-lasting weight loss doesn’t mean you have to be tied to calorie-counting or hitting the gym every second day of the week for the rest of your life. It means you have to let go of your unhealthy habits for life.
Here are effective tips to lose weight steadily and achieve the best results possible.
Set Yourself Up for Success by Mentally Preparing Yourself
Successful weight loss requires mental preparation. Chances are if it isn’t due to either hormones or a health condition, most people’s habits are the main culprits as to why they’re either overweight or obese. It is never too early to make positive changes to your eating habits.
Even a small weight loss can be a huge win that impacts a person’s overall health positively. So do not be discouraged by what you currently see or how you perceive yourself. Usually, there’s nothing that a stronger mindset, coupled with consistent action, can’t achieve.
There is certainly real work required, and the effort is mostly mental and emotional rather than physical. But the results are so worth it, for your life and health’s sake.
Set those S.M.A.R.T. Weight Loss Goals
First of all, a weight goal should be realistic. Furthermore, what a weight goal should also be is SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. To increase your chances of success and the likelihood of sustaining motivation for weight loss, keep them within these necessary parameters.
Specific would mean measuring your current weight and knowing your target weight; measurable ought to keep you monitoring your progress through time; achievable, realistic and time-bound means rapid weight loss schemes are out of the picture.
Don’t try to lose more in a given time-frame than is healthy, or is recommended by true experts in the field, such as your doctor.
Strategize Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
Weight loss is more than just diet and exercise. Without the necessary mindset, which includes your ‘why’ and a sustainable plan to sustain these actions through time, relapse is a much likelier outcome of any spasmodic dieting effort.
Given that, it is necessary to approach weight goals strategically. That may include planning ahead, preparing some healthy snacks for yourself, actively scheduling daily exercise and generally, making healthier choices easier to make.
Our mind and body resist change, which is why anything new will be naturally resisted, rather than adapted to. This principle most certainly applies to weight loss. No matter how unhealthy our lifestyle is, our mind will consider that it is normal and safe, and will secretly sabotage any sudden changes.
That is what happens to yo-yo dieters – their mind tries to restore their body to what it perceives as normal. Making steady and sure changes helps to create good and lasting habits. Also, our mind gets used to the new you over time and is less likely to thwart your mindful efforts.