The most common reason that people
cite for dieting today is
weight loss. While most of us would love to claim the noble mantle of
dieting for health the vast majority of us are doing so for vanity.
This, however, is a perfectly acceptable and plausible reason for
making the lifestyle changes that are necessary in order to diet. In
fact, this reason might prove to be a far greater motivator than many
of the other commonly stated reasons for dieting.
When
dieting for weight loss one of the most common complaints is constantly
feeling hungry. In order to help combat this, you might want to
incorporate some of the following strategies into your dieting program.
First of all, eat more high fiber foods. Whole grains, apples, pears,
and lima beans are a great source of fiber as are many breakfast
cereals. Easy does it however when it comes to fiber as it may be
filling but there are some unpleasant side effects that may accompany
heavy fiber eating (remember that beans are a good source of fiber).
Try using a product such as Bean-o when consuming larger amounts of
fiber. You might also try spreading your fiber intake throughout the
day rather than consuming all your daily fiber at once.
Another
method for feeling fuller when dieting is to drink plenty of water
while dieting. Water provides an important service to the body and is
very necessary when it comes to delivering all the nutrients where they
need to go. Water also helps regulate your metabolism, which is very
important to the dieting and weight loss process. Additionally, water
will help you skin retain its elasticity so that your skin can go more
easily back into place once the serious weight loss begins.
Learn
to control your portions. We live in a world where portions are over
inflated and super sized so often that we no longer know what an
appropriate portion looks like. Restaurant meals are quite often more
than adequate for at least two full meals and that is before salads,
soups, appetizers, or desserts have been ordered. Learning to portion
correctly can save you from over loading your calorie intake for the
day massively. It can also help you get extra helpings of the lower
calorie foods such as lettuce and other vegetables rather than taking
such large portions of calorie rich starches or fried foods.
Do
not go "Gung Ho". There are limits to what the body and the mind can
handle. When you go on a diet you are making a drastic change to your
bodies caloric intake. If you go overboard you can lead to health risks
along the way. Begin cutting calories a little at a time and
incorporate changes as you go rather than going in with an all or
nothing attitude. If you go overboard with your dieting plans chances
are that you are dooming your diet to failure.
Take your
diet one step at a time for the best results and be sure to incorporate
extra physical activity into the mix. Even gardening when done on a
regular basis can burn calories, so can cleaning the house, and playing
with the little ones. Take a walk to the park or the corner store
rather than getting in the car and pull a wagon or push a stroller
while you're at it. The added weight will be just enough resistance to
burn a few extra calories.
Dieting for weight loss does
not necessarily have to be a major sacrifice on your part but in order
to be successful it will be a radical change in lifestyle, particularly
if you need to lose more than a few vanity pounds. The health
implications of loosing the weight are well worth the required effort
and should not be taken lightly no matter how excited you are about
your new body that is hiding inside your old one...
