If you are like most people I know, you have tried one diet after another. They decide one day that they are going on a diet and BANG they suddenly dieting. Many times when people do this they just stop eating, or eat very little. If they follow a diet plan many times it is a crash diet, which promises some large amount of weight loss in a short period of time.
As many people find out neither one these approaches work well. Why don’ they work?
There are several reasons. The first reason, especially if someone drastically reduces what they eat, they get hungry, and you can only drink so much ice water, until you need real food. Many diet plans leave you hungry as well.
Another reason diets fail is because; many diet plans are designed to work for all of us. I feel that is a problem. We are all made differently, we have different tastes and situations, so how can we expect the diet plan that worked for our friend, will work for us.
A third reason, that many dieters fail is because they just jump into a diet with out really thinking about it. We need to have goal and a plan to reach our weight loss goals. Just starting a diet one day, even a great diet program, can quickly lead to burn out. If one day you are eating what you want and the next day, you are eating tofu and carrots, which is too drastic of a difference for most people. As a they cannot stay on the diet for long.
These are three reasons diets fail. So, how can we make a diet a success?
First, get in a mindset to lose weight. Stop using the word diet it brings up negative thoughts. Never say you have to go on a diet, you are CHOOSING to go on weight loss program or follow a weight loss plan. We do not like things that we HAVE to do, choose to lose weight, for your self, no one else.
Second, write down your goal. If you want to lose 25 pounds, write that down. Write down a time frame in which you think you can reach your goal. Make it a reasonable amount of time, at least 3 months maybe more. It may seem like a long time, but we are looking for lasting results, not more yo-yo dieting.
Third, keep 3-to5 day food log. Write down every thing you eat and the amounts you eat. Pay attention to carbs and fat as well as total calories. Look honestly at your food log look for areas where you can change small things. You can switch to a lower fat milk or diet soda pop. Reduce your fast food outings what ever it is, just start. It may take a while but it will be worth it.
Phil Satterfield has a college degree in Nutrition and has helped many people lose weight. He has started http://www.dietcrazy.com a small but quickly growing site and weight loss ezine. His goal is to help as many people lose weight as possible, the site contain free information including a free weight loss plan and ebook. philsatterfield_1@lycos.com
