So you have decided that this year will be the year you lose all of that extra weight. But, you are totally confused as to how to approached the proper eating plan in order to maximize your success and maintain a plan that works with your normal every day life. The key to weight loss is eating less calories each and every day. Though the progress may be slow at first, the lasting effects of diet change have been shown to work better and keep the weight off for a longer period of time.
The trouble with most diet plans is change. Many popular diet plan requires huge changes in the way you eat every day. This not only causes confusion, but is a tiring process of constant calorie counting and telling yourself that you can not have this food or that food. Eventually, burned out by the work involved, the diet plan is dropped and the weight loss stops and reverses itself to weight gain.
The key to significant weigh loss, fast, is the replacement diet. The replacement diet takes the food you currently eat and replaces some of those foods with others that are very comparable. This enables the dieter to keep losing weight without the struggles of an entirely new life. Some of the key replacements include:
Bread. Instead of eating traditional bread that has 70 to 75 calories per slice, try a low carb tortilla or wrap. These often have as little as 50 calories. That is a change of 100 calories per sandwich and the fiber content of these wraps helps the stomach to feel fuller longer.
Sugar Soda. The average soda with sugar contains 150 calories per can. For a bottle the numbers are far higher than that. Changing to a calorie free soda can add up to a change in calories of more than 1050 calories per week at one can per day.
Green Vegetables. Not all vegetables are created the same. Carrots and green beans tend to have larger amounts of calories from natural sugars than other green vegetables. Switching out these vegetables for other green vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower can create a calorie loss that truly adds up.
Leave the Yolk in the Shell. The yolk of an egg is by far the most caloric part of the egg. The whites, however, contain only 15 calories each. Take two whites and a low carb wrap and your breakfast only contains 75 calories. Now that is what weight loss is all about.
There are many places in a diet that can be modified to lessen the daily caloric intake. Approaching a diet from the aspect that you can still have all the food you want, just in a different way makes for the best overall change in the world. The more manageable a diet, the more apt a dieter is to stay on the plan. And, overall, the best way to lose weight and keep the weight off is to stick with the plan over the longest period of time possible.
Sadly, there are no magic remedies, diet pills, or supplements for losing weight. It takes desire, persistence and lots of accurate information seasoned with ample amounts of supportive and caring guidance, to succeed.
Through the trials and tribulations of many failed weight loss plans we now know that if you try to manage your weight by making radical changes in your diet and lifestyle, you will eventually fail...around 95% of the time!
For a diet plan to be successful it must fit within the boundaries of normal day-to-day habits and activities. It must allow for the consumption of familiar foods in familiar and traditional social settings. The exclusion of "taboo" foods or your favorite fast food restaurant is generally a set-up for eventual dieting failure.
When you stop to think about, isn't it usually the things you are told that you can't do or have, that you desire the most? It's a part of human nature. We want what we can't have! Take it away from us, and surely this is exactly what we will want and crave the most...and this includes the foods we eat. Even the most highly regarded sources of information agree that we tend to focus on what we can't have (see what the Bible has to say about it; Romans 7:14-15).
So, a good plan for losing weight should not try to radically change your eating behavior. The plan should adapt to your daily activities and eating behavior. And of course any good plan should incorporate the benefits of good nutrition, convenience and practicality.
The bottom line is that we are all very busy people without a lot of time to spare. We're not about to turn our busy lifestyle upside down to follow some restrictive plan for losing weight. Oh...maybe something like this will work for a short period of time, but the facts don't lie. Short term loss is long term gain (in weight that is!). Although the "crash" weight loss diets may work for a short while, most of us will find that before long the pounds begin to creep back on...and there is good reason for this.
- We're not going give-up eating at fast food and sit-down restaurants when we need a quick meal.
- We're not going to give-up eating with business associates, good friends and family or any other special meal occasions where dieting guidelines are difficult (or impossible) to follow.
- We're not going to completely eliminate the foods we love and crave.
- And we're most definitely not going to waste precious time preparing special dietary meals from "scratch" every day!
It's important to know that you don't have to stop doing any of the above to lose weight.
You can look and feel like a million bucks, take years off your appearance and have the energy and vitality to accomplish your dreams, by following a few simple guidelines. Here they are...
1) Take it one step at a time.
Some of the greatest accomplishments in life begin by taking one small step at a time. When we are challenged to think deeply, encouraged by others to succeed, and ultimately inspired to take action, great things start to happen!
If you have important weight loss goals you are not achieving, try to spend less time worrying about all the possible "causes" and start concentrating on how you can make progress.
This is one of the keys to moving forward and a simple, but powerful tool for success.
Step #2 ? Assess your dietary needs and lifestyle.
Awareness is the key!
Learn about your specific dietary needs (caloric intake) and daily energy requirements. We're talking a basic understanding here, and not having to go into any great detail.
Step #3 - Seek advice from friends and trusted authorities.
Don't believe everything you hear! There are thousands of diet "scams" on the market. When you find a trusted source, ask as many questions as you can about diet and exercise. Find out what has worked for others. But always be on-guard for "quick fix" approach...it won't work!
Step #4 ? Start creating a SYSTEM of support.
About 85% of our "happiness" and well-being is determined by the quality of our relationships with other people. Loving, caring relationships and a network of friends, family, and colleagues lowers stress, increases longevity and helps us to accomplish our goals in life (including losing weight).
We are social creatures and we do our best when we have friends to cheer us on, offer support, give advice and hold us accountable when necessary. This makes it easy for us to succeed. So, surround yourself with people, tools and activities that make it easier to succeed than to fail! Arrange your living environment and social situations so that every thing around you pulls your forward!
Step #5 ? Use your resources.
Read motivational tips, general health information and any other literature you can get your hands-on. Information is power!
Step #6 ? TAKE THE FIRST STEP!
There you have it. So, get started today on "your" Road to Success!
Both Kazoone & Nicky Pilkington are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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