There are a lot of diets out there, dieting has become an entire industry in its own right, with books, videos, websites and all manner of diet pills, supplements and other products available to consumers. Western nations are simultaneously becoming more health conscious and more overweight and because of this, there is an unprecedented demand for information on diets and products related to weight loss. However, what there isn't a lot of is solid, useful information on how to diet successfully - that is, how to lose weight and keep it off.
Anyone can lose weight using one of the many fad diets available, but these diets have a few fatal flaws: they generally don't provide you with a nutritionally balanced diet, they aren't designed for anything other than short term weight loss (which leads to the issue of yo-yo dieting, which is a huge problem in itself) and perhaps worst of all, they don't generally provide you with any kind of strategy for maintaining your weight once you lose excess pounds.
However, you don't need fad diet plans or diet pills in order to diet successfully; you just need the right information on what to do and what to avoid when you're trying to lose weight. Keep reading for a quick introduction on how to diet and keep the weight off once you've lost it.
Motivation
The first step to any successful weight loss regimen is motivation. If you're not truly motivated to lose weight and improve your health, you're probably not going to be successful regardless of what kind of diet your follow. It takes self-discipline to avoid dietary pitfalls and to get the regular exercise you need to lose weight keep it off - without this, nothing will be likely to work for you over the long term.
Water
Drinking plenty of water is something you should be doing in the first place since it's so essential to good health. Drinking eight or more cups of water daily helps your digestive system to work more efficiently, which assists in weight loss - and drinking water also helps you feel full; in many cases when you feel hunger pangs, you may simply be thirsty. Try drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry and make a point of having a glass before meals; you may be surprised by just how much less you eat at mealtimes.
Regular Exercise
This is (or should be) a no-brainer. We all know that we need to get regular exercise, especially if we're trying to lose weight. If you don't already get some form of exercise on a regular basis, try starting small with a daily half an hour walk and work your way up to more intensive exercise and lengthier workouts. You'll usually get the best results with half an hour to 45 minutes of exercise at least three to four times a week. Even if you don't have a lot of extra time in your day, try to work in a little physical activity where you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to the store instead of driving and so on - every little bit helps you lose excess weight and to keep it off.
A Healthy, Nutritionally Balanced Diet
We all have a pretty good idea of what we should be eating; fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, small amounts of healthy fats like olive oil, fish and other lean meats. It's more important to keep what you should steer clear of in mind: refined flours, sugar, processed foods and any foods or beverages which are loaded with preservatives and other unnatural ingredients. Get into the habit of reading food labels carefully and whenever possible, prepare your own meals from fresh ingredients rather than buying premade packaged food. It's OK to stray from your diet a little once in a while, but for the most part, you need to stick to the plan. Once you become accustomed to eating healthy, you'll find that you quickly lose your taste for less healthy options and along with regular exercise, this will make it easy to keep off the weight you've lost.
Darragh Holland is a Cavan Personal Trainer and also runs his own Bootcamps.
He has helped people to lose weight and get toned so be sure to check out his Cavan personal training studio.
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