Stop dieting: change your life
The key to losing weight is to stop dieting. Yes, you heard correctly. STOP dieting. Start changing the way you think about food, dieting and nutrition. The fact of the matter is, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, and even the cabbage soup diet can fail if the change is only temporary. The problem with diets is not the lack of nutritional basis, or even the will of the dieter. Very simply put, the reason that diets fail is the simple fact that after a strict diet people go back to “normal life” – and gain weight again.
Leading a healthy lifestyle
Losing weight starts with making simple everyday changes that will make you happier, healthier and more apt to choose the right food and activities for your body. The most important thing to remember about not dieting is that you are trying to be healthy person, not just lose some weight before reverting back to your old habits. For example, you might replace your favorite TV show with your Ipod (loaded with your favorite songs of course!) and a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Or, instead of salty prepackaged foods for snacks, you might begin incorporating healthy fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks.
Dieting as a short-term fix
Dieting can be very effective for a short-term fix. It’s a great way to lose those last few pounds or reenergize your healthy eating habits. Beyond a desire to lose just a few pounds, it creates a mindset that the diet is just a temporary fix. That once you reach your goal weight, you can stop and revert back to eating whatever you want, regardless of nutrition, diets or your desire to keep the weight off. In order to sustain the weight lose, its important to maintain the healthy lifestyle.
Weight loss tips for the non-dieter
In order to start focusing on the long term solution to your weight, here are a few tips to help change your lifestyle and begin your life as a thinner person:
-It takes 21 days to create a habit. Find one thing you’d like to change, such as eating healthier snacks or taking a brisk walk every morning before work. In three weeks, reward yourself with something non-food, such as new clothing, and begin working toward changing another bad habit into a good one.
-Tell all of your friends, family and coworkers about your desire to lose weight and ask them to help keep you accountable to your new healthy lifestyle. You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to pass on the bad foods when you know your best friend will be asking you about your weight later that day.