You may have tried the South Beach Diet, Atkins, or any of those other gimmick weight loss plans and fast diet plans. Sure you may lose weight at first, but eventually the pounds always come back. Ever wonder why? It’s because quick fix starvation diets don’t work.
Proven, long term weight loss is achieved through smart choices, moderation, and determination. As soon as you get the concepts detailed below, you can be prepared to lose weight now, and keep it off forever.
Calorie Restriction, Within Reason
Most fast diet plans cut too many calories too quickly, and that’s why they don’t work. The trick to creating a weight loss plan for you is finding out how many calories you need to cut and slowly working up to it. This way, you don’t feel deprived, so you stay on track for the long run.
Start by cutting small things that you can live without. For example, if you drink a lot of soda, why not cut back to only one or two cans a day? Replace the missing soda with reduced calorie juices, teas, coffee, or water. Then, eventually, phase out all of your soda drinking. This can be done with vending machine treats, desserts, or any “extra” that may be adding to your calorie count.
Smart Choices
Another easy way to create a healthy diet you can live with is to start making healthier choices when buying and preparing food. No, you don’t need those prepackaged low calorie meals pushed by membership weight loss plans. You can create healthy meals at home, that you love, by just learning a few simple tricks.
First, look for high fiber foods. Today, there are many products on the market that have the great taste of white bread, but are still fortified with a high fiber count. Why is this important? Every gram of fiber you eat blocks seven calories, so you are cutting calories just by eating. Fiber also makes you feel fuller, so that you eat less. Three grams of fiber is a great amount to have in a serving of food. Look for high fiber breads, pastas, and sauces.
Next, add more vegetables and fruits to your meals. You can sneak them into the foods you regularly make and may never even notice the difference. For example, when making spaghetti, add a can of diced tomatoes to the canned sauce you usually use.
Last, cut back on “flavor extras.” Flavor extras are things that you add to your foods that really don’t have to be there and add a lot of fat and calories to your food. Some common flavor extras are butter, sauces, cheese toppings, dressings, and sour cream. Replace these extras with low calorie versions or herbs, which are calorie free.
Moderation
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Everything in moderation.” Well, it’s true if you want to lose weight now. Start looking at calorie counts and servings on food labels. It may surprise you to find out that a pint of ice cream you would usually eat in one sitting is actually four servings, or that bottle of soda you drink all at once is two-and-a-half servings. To eat in moderation you have to know what moderation is, and that can only be achieved by being honest with yourself about serving sizes.
As you can see, creating a weight loss plan you can stick with doesn’t have to be a dramatic process. You can still lose weight fast, long term, with these simple lifestyle changes.