All right, let’s get down to it. Who of us doesn’t already know how to lose weight really? Its not as if it was that much of a mystery. Are you tired of people saying, “You should lose weight. You would feel so much better about yourself.” Hogwash. Why should how we look affect how we feel about ourselves? In fact, I feel these well intentioned statements help set us up for diet failure.
We all would like to lose weight fast or burn fat easily, but let’s face it…dieting is very hard work. You will bleed more sweat and tears dieting then you will at your own job. Have you ever stopped to think…How fast did I put on this weight? Believe me; you didn’t just gain 10 pounds in a week so how can you expect yourself to lose that much in that little amount of time. In my own battle of the bulge over the years, I feel that what led to repeated failure for me was setting these unrealistic goals.
Also, I think you need to start of in the frame of mind that you are doing this for yourself, because you love yourself and you’re worth it. Not for some idea that once you lose all that weight and become thin that suddenly you are going to feel better about yourself. It’s not true. In fact, in my own case after losing 100 pounds and attaining that size 6 goal, I was more miserable then ever. I still had not fixed the problem of loving and accepting myself. Once you do this you have a better chance of having diet success.
The other mistake that dieters make is that we tell or believe that we have to deprive ourselves of the foods we love to attain success. We are already setting ourselves up for failure if we do this. Our lives are already filled with multiple stressors such as work, raising a family, paying bills, and just not having enough time to do the things we love. Why does food have such a hold on us? Because it is an instant gratification and one thing that we can look forward to that we will make time for. Yes, reading a good book, working on a craft project, or watching a great movie would be nice too, but who has the time. It only takes 10 minutes to eat a food we really enjoy and it SATISFIES us.
So contemplating telling yourself that you can no longer have that is wrong. What we need to control is the portions. Do you really need a whole piece of cake of just half of it? Don’t count calories, don’t lose the crabs, and don’t cut the fat. Fast food has become such a phenomenon because it’s quick and takes very little time as well as tasting good. What makes it taste so good? I will tell you….FAT. So completely cutting fat out of your diet takes out flavor and hence decreases the one pleasure many of us have in life of eating. Now the problem with fast food is that it uses TOO much fat. You should still be very aware of the amount of fat you use but foods you eat should still taste good. Research has shown that even low fat foods because they taste fatty, fool the body into storing them as fat. So in the end you are not winning. So continue to enjoy your food but work on the portion aspect of meals. If you want more chocolate cake then maybe cut back on the amount of potatoes or bread you eat that day, but by all means, have the chocolate cake. Count each new day as a start no matter how many times you have failed. Keep trying till you get it right.
Back to setting unrealistic goals. Exercise is important. It helps with heart health and circulation as well as getting rid of toxins in your system. Here again, you need to set realistic goals. If you haven’t exercised in 6 months or a year, then set a goal of working out for 5 minutes a day. Now come on…who of us couldn’t find 5 minutes to move our body? Do that for 1 week and then increase to 10 minutes the second week. Repeat until you reach 20 to 30 minutes a day. You don’t need to do more than this to have a healthier body. I know in my busy work schedule an hour’s time was too precious to sacrifice but 30 minutes seemed more realistic.
These are just ideas to get you started. The biggest step you can take right now is to sit down and list the top 10 reasons why you want to lose weight. Remember that if you think you will feel better about yourself if you were thin and looked great that isn’t always true. Figure out now how to love and appreciate yourself and life and you will find that dieting becomes easier.
I know there are a lot of diet products out there and sorting through them all can become overwhelming. I feel that Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, and Low Carb Dieting are all valid programs but only if they work for you. The moment you feel deprived you can expect that you will start to falter in reaching your weight loss goals. Find the diet that works for you and until that time, just work on eating smaller portions and working out for 5 minutes. You can do it!
Two products that helped me reach my weight loss success are listed below but I don’t want you to feel that you have to use them. Again diets need to be individualized. The reason I liked these products was that they allow you to do whatever diet suits you best but helps you curb those cravings that overwhelm us and also boosts energy so exercise doesn’t seem so tedious. I have tried other products but these are the only two that I feel that I can recommend. Good luck and feel free to email me anytime if you need some support.
www.EmeraldEZweightloss.com [http://www.EmeraldEZweightloss.com]/>
I have been a nurse for 10 years and not only helped patients lose weight but managed to have my own successful weight loss. Please feel free to contact me at charlotteapayne@hotmail.com
