There are some main reasons why people fail in their attempt to lose weight. I will list here the most common reasons and how to avoid those pitfalls.
Let's concentrate first on eating; there is a reason why we eat - the main reason should be only hunger, but there can be also emotional reasons for eating. It is very important to face any emotional eating issues. This may be as simple as identifying alternative activities or as intensive as seeking professional help. Feeling depressed, negative self image, negative response from other people can trigger eating-protection-system which leads to weight gain. You just got to get over this habit, because it will render all your other efforts useless.
If you try to follow a super strict diet and have an "all or nothing" attitude, it will turn to "nothing" in 99% of time. I have always taught my students to be patient and love themselves. Being too hard on oneself is going result in an explosion sooner or later and all that was lost is gained very fast. If you try a diet that rely on one type of food or cut out entire food groups, it's simply going to be too hard to stick to and also very unhealthy in the long run. Ask anyone who tried the green tea diet or similar programs.
There is an old proverb: "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". This is so true, and therefore whatever you do, don't skip your breakfast! A balanced good breakfast will get your metabolism going and help you from getting too hungry and overeating through the day.
Don't try to cut down too many calories in the beginning; your body needs to adjust slowly to new changes. Reduce your calorie intake is the key to weight loss, but if you try to cut too many, you won't lose weight at all thanks to the metabolism's "starvation" mode. As I have said on my blog and my recommended programs and articles; count your normal daily calorie intake (before diet) and try to reduce it by 500 calories per day.
If you are very strong mentally, you can probably do whatever you like without support, but most of us need some sort of shoulder to lean on from time to time. This is especially true in weight loss. We need a friend to talk to about problems and we need them to support us in our efforts in life. We need to talk to someone about the dilemmas that losing weight brings us. If you think about it, one of your motives is how others look upon you. If you are alone on a deserted island, you would not care about weight loss so much would you? Of course there are other important reasons also, but don't be alone, talk to people and find someone who listens to you and preferably has gone through the same struggle before.
Keep a food diary and write down what and how much you used to eat and how much you eat now. Make a habit of writing down everything what you have eaten during the day; you will be surprised how much this will affect your overall mission.
People tend to set unrealistic goals for themselves and then they feel bad when they fail meet them. If your body is used to certain amount of sugar a day, don't cut it all off immediately. Cut it to half first and in one week or two weeks cut it to half again. This way you let your body time to adjust to changes and everything feels more natural and easy. You have to have a goal; you want to lose a certain amount of weight, but don't try to be too hard on yourself.
Exercise is recommended for every dieter, but if you are not used to exercise, you have to start slow here also. Start simple and increase slowly for best results.
Have one feast meal per week! Eating is also important; it gives us feeling of well being and happiness. So even if you are on a diet, enjoy one feast meal per week for your overall balance.
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