The Real Reason You Havent Lost Your Weight

If you look around next time you go shopping or out in public, you will see why Americans have such a huge need for diets and weight loss. You might think its a twisted fad to be overweight. With 60% of America in this category and 30% considered obese, we as Americans are desperate for an answer to our weight issues.

I really hate to sound so harsh, but your next diet is likely to fail. If peoples diets succeeded then why would they go on diet after diet? Are all the diets really just crap? Or is it possible that the person on the diet has more influence than we are led to believe? That's a good thing because it means you have all the control to make your next diet a slimming success.

We are constantly demanding weight loss success in days, weeks at the longest. That's a pretty shortsighted perspective. If expected to lose it in weeks and it took months, you feel like a failure. If you expect months and it takes less time you feel like a success. So what would happen if you changed how long you expected it would take you to lose your weight?

Its not the diet that makes a difference, its the habits. Imagine yourself reaching for a piece of fruit instead of junk food, walking instead of watching TV. It probably sounds hard right now. But you can do it with ease and without thinking about it. The only way to get to that point is by changing habits, and replacing your bad habits with good ones.

I wish the answer was more magical. Its always more fun that way. A magical solution that solves all our weight issues. We like things easy, and losing weight is no different. But having searched for that magic pill before, I can tell you that when you realize one important thing is when you realize dieting success.

At 220lbs and 5'10", I had become the epitome of the Pillsbury dough boy. And I knew I had to do something about it because any healthy human should be able to climb a flight of stairs without losing their breath. As much as I wanted to lose the extra 45 pounds in a few months, I knew that realistically it would take longer. That laid the groundwork for my success.

Just do the math. An aggressive 10 pounds a month would take almost five months to lose. You may not know it, but 1 pound of fat has 3500 calories. And to burn extra fat you need to expend 500 calories above you normal metabolic needs. 7 Days of burning an extra 500 calories is only 1 pound a week. 10 pounds a month would take 1250 calories a day!! So start your diet off right with a realistic expectation.

And if you are still with me now, there is hope for you. Because once you realize that it needs to be a long term solution, you will set goals that are achievable. Start with 1 pound a week and see what happens. Most likely you will succeed and feed good about the process to try for more. Maybe you shoot for two pounds a week the next month. The numbers don't matter, sticking with it does.

By now you know that you are the ultimate factor in your diet's success. That doesn't mean a diet plan isn't helpful. It is because it helps you get going in the right direction and gives you some structure to start getting results. However, when you reach your goal, it won't be the diet that you are happy about, it will be yourself for sticking with it and reaching your goals through better choices and better habits.

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