Why Dieting may not be a Good Choice

With so many people trying and failing on diets what choices should you be making? Does this mean you just haven't found the right diet for your own unique circumstances yet? I would say with an emphatic no that what has happened is probably a gift in disguise. Most of the diets on the market right now are created for a short term un-sustainable weight drop. What makes the most sense from an effective success and permanent perspective is to make habit changes that will lead to lifestyle changes. This article will discuss that choice.

Let's be frank. We are on a diet to lose weight right? Do we want to lose a lot of weight fast and then gradually put it back on and more or would we prefer a slower more permanent way of getting the same result? If you really think about it you already know the answer to this. So let's start off by setting a realistic expectation. Studies have shown that for the most part the most weight you can expect to lose (i.e. fat loss) regardless of what you are doing is right around 2-3 pounds/week. Anything more then that is more then likely water weight. Weight which is easily lost and gained by the way.

The Process

There are really only two simple things that need to be done either separately or together to lose weight. Reduce the amount of calories you take in and increase the amount of calories you expend. The most effective plans will have a combination of the two for the best results. For both of these steps we will suggest that you consult with a doctor first to make sure you are getting enough calories every day and if you are fit to start physical activity. One of the first steps we want you to do is to get a baseline. That is you will record in a log what your calorie intake for a week is. Also do the same for any exercise activities you may do during the week. For the daily calories we want to take an average of the seven days you recorded getting rid of the high and low value if they are significantly different. For the activity log you keep it will be good enough to just record the activity and how many 10-minute blocks of time it consumed. Now that we know where we are starting let's get to it . . .

The Diet

You will want to start eating 4-5 times a day instead of the 2-3 times you are probably currently doing. This will also of course mean smaller portions. In addition to that we want you to minimize the consumption of any foods/beverages which are high in fat or sugar content. It will be your job to experiment and find suitable healthy alternatives. For the first 21 days you will record your daily calorie intake like you did for the first seven days.

Exercise

Assuming you got the okay from your doctor to participate in an increase of physical activity our goal for the first month will be to exercise two to three times a week for a minimum of thirty minutes a session. This can be walking, jogging, running,cycling or some other similar form of activity. Also start making conscious choices to take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to a destination instead of driving and etc. You will record these new activities just like your new diet for a minimum of twenty one days.

Don't fret if you miss a day or two. The idea here is to make sure you are keeping yourself aware of the new choices you are making and doing it long enough to start to form some new more healthy habits. Once your habits have formed you will be led painlessly to make other more healthy lifestyle changes.

This writer has created internet distributed articles for a touch over three and a half years. In addition to this online publisher focusing on the subjects of weight loss, fitness and diet he also spends time marketing a few different niche sites. Find out about his most recent internet site on Small Microwave deals that has great information and reviews.