Weight Loss Tips

It’s no surprise that many people want to try fad diets when they seem to get such fast results. So you might be wondering what’s so bad about them? A lot actually! You can certainly find hundreds of sites online claiming amazing weight loss in just a few short days. However, what they don’t tell you is that type of weight loss is only temporary. It is usually just water weight that you are losing, which will be put right back on as soon as your body re-hydrates, which it has to do or you will suffer severe health problems, or even die!

Other fad diets are not so obviously crash diets with outrageous claims but they are over hyped diet plans that tend to be fashionable for a while and usually make a lot of money for the inventor in associated product sales. In the best cases these are good nutrition plans which will help you lose weight, but which you could probably have gotten for free from your doctor. In the worst cases they will prove so difficult to follow that you will give up after a week.

The BAD of “fad” diets…

1. Diets that promise quick and easy weight loss are usually based on eating more of one food type and none of another. These do not give the benefits that you would get from a balanced diet. They may suggest you take supplements but many supplements are not absorbed by the body unless they are taken along with the foods that the diet has banned. After a few weeks, if you stick to it that long, you may begin to develop nutritional deficiencies.

2. Fad diets are often boring and over restrictive. After the novelty of the first day or two, you will not enjoy your meals. You will then start to crave food constantly and will break the diet. You may even feel guilty, thinking it is your fault that you did not lose weight.

3. Most fad diets do not follow recommendations set by health authorities for fat levels in the diet. Often the diet will recommend high fat foods and low carbs which if taken long term, could result in heart disease or other health problems. The promoters may tell you that the diet is only intended to be followed for a short time. But you probably will not reach your weight goals in that time, and then what? You either continue with a plan that is not good for your health, or stop and gain back everything you lost.

4. Many fad diets do not help you to incorporate enough servings of fruits and vegetables in your weight loss program, or give you the variety of foods that your body needs.

5. Quick weight loss diets are just a temporary solution and do not help you to make permanent changes to your eating habits. Permanent changes are the only way to remain at your target weight once you reach it. Fad diets encourage yo-yo diet-binge cycles of fast weight loss and equally fast weight gain. This is worse for your health and your self-esteem than if you had stayed overweight all the time.

Whatever the publicity materials may say, these diets will not help you in the long term. The best way to sustain weight loss is to eat healthy balanced meals, do not over eat, exercise regularly, and avoid fad diets. I recommend doing crossfit workouts for a healthy lifestyle, effective weight loss, increased muscle mass, a toned body, and overall better results.

The secret to losing weight fast is often simply a question of motivation. Here are three easy tips that will help you to keep on track and see the numbers on the scale continue to fall.

1. Establish Habits

If you are overweight, the chances are good that you have bad habits around eating. It could be snacking, it could be food choices, it could be binges, but whatever it is, it has established itself as a habit in your life.

You need to replace those bad habits with good ones in order to stay on your diet through the rocky times that may lie ahead. This means establishing a routine for meals (especially the times of meals) and for all of the times when you tend to overeat. For example, as soon as you have finished eating your meal, get up and wash the dishes or do some other household task.

Research shows that we need to do something every day for around a month before we consider it to be a habit. If you can stick to your new healthy habits for 30 days without cheating, you will find that it becomes easier after that.

2. Control Your Mind

Losing weight fast is a lot easier if you are not constantly plagued by thoughts of all of the foods that you should not eat. You may think that it is not possible to control your thoughts but there is no need to indulge in food fantasies which will lead you off track. Occupy your mind with something else.

It helps to avoid food advertising as much as possible. Remember, food advertising is designed to make us desire all kinds of junk that God or nature never intended for us to eat. This can mean changing channels or leaving the room when the ads come on the TV.

3. Have An Emergency Plan

Snacking and binge eating are sure to stop you from losing weight fast, so you need an emergency plan to cover the times when you are tempted. This is a list of 3 things that you will do instead of (or at least before) you have that unhealthy snack.

Your plan should include some quick exercise (e.g. going up and down stairs 10 times), then drinking a large glass of water, followed by something you can do for around 10 minutes that will make you feel good such as putting on makeup, taking a shower, playing with the dog etc.

Keep a copy of the list on the refrigerator. Do this right now even though you may think you will never need it. Then promise yourself that any time you are tempted to go off plan you will do ALL of those 3 things before snacking.

In most cases, this will keep you from snacking or binge eating. The water fills your stomach while the other activities improve your mood to help you deal with any emotional upsets that triggered the wish to snack. You may find that you are genuinely hungry, and maybe it is time for a healthy meal. But most times, you will not need to eat anything at all until your next planned meal.

Following these tips will help you stick to any diet, and that is the secret to losing weight fast.