The Common Sense Diet

     There are plenty of diet plans to go around, and too much small print that goes along with the success stories. Try looking closely at the next ad you see on TV raving about some new fitness or dieting product, you抣l undoubtedly see amazing success stories of people who have lost 80 lbs and now look amazing. Look closely and you抣l see the flaw in their argument, the flaw is this little fine print: *results not typical. There it is in black and white. If they were more honest in their marketing it would flash in big letters across the screen RESULTS NOT TYPICAL!!! and blink over and over until it actually sunk into your brain.

The truth is, there are so many diets that promise you the world, only to let you down because they are either unmanageable, impractical, too demanding, or just plain not fun. This makes sense because the dieting industry wouldn抰 exist if it was too effective. They really don抰 want lasting success, they just want to keep you hooked on the latest dieting trend so that they can pump more money out of you while crushing your spirit.

If you have found yourself in this vortex of dieting deception, you need to get out. Just take a step back from everything and use some common sense about what is going on. You need to lose weight, right? Ask yourself why you want to lose it and what you think will help you reach your goal. Chances are you抣l find a solution just using your own common sense and you抣l be able to structure a plan that actually works for you.

If you are honest with yourself, you抣l probably admit that you don抰 eat enough vegetables, whole grains, lean protein like fish or nuts, and you don抰 drink enough water. Instead you probably drink too much of that favorite carbonated sugary beverage, and eat too much in general.

Part of the problem is cultural. If you抮e an American, your problem can be that you are just a bit too close to the problem to really see it. Here is an example, an African immigrant to the US comes to find out that we eat three meals a day and asks 搘hy would anyone eat three meals a day??He is used to eating one, maybe two meals a day, and that is completely normal to him. He has lived his whole life with this mindset and it never occurred to him that you could live a different way.

The basic fact is, in the west, particularly in America, we are simply accustomed to eating too much. Using common sense, the best way to lose weight is to eat the equivalent of half portions of what you get in a restaurant and drink lots of water. Of course these portions should include the healthy foods listed above, lots of vegetables, whole grains, lean protein etc. Add to this a consistent exercise routine, and guaranteed you抣l start losing weight. Now, in order to stay on track with your weight loss goal, don抰 force yourself to swear off sweets completely. There is no reason this has to happen. You should indulge yourself daily in something sweet, this will help you curb your appetite and control your urges to binge on sweets after a long drought of never touching them. There is a new type of healthy chocolate that comes in bite-sized portions and includes vitamins and added nutrients that are great for your overall health. This is a great way to make sure you stay on track, and provides that needed boost to help you keep your body in line with the common sense diet.

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