Avoid the 5 Common Diet Traps
You really do try to watch your diet. You skip the sweet treats, use portion control, and exercise more. But losing weight just seems impossible.
Well, you’re not alone. This is a very common problem. When a dieter repeatedly fails, they often become so pessimistic that they simply stop trying to lose weight. Don’t let this happen to you. When you understand the things that cause dieters to fail, you can avoid those thing, and be successful in losing weight and keeping it off.
1) While you might expect help from family or friends, they are not always supportive. There always seems to be someone you know who remains slender, no matter how much food they eat. They bring tempting junk food into your home or workplace. They don’t understand how hard it is for you. Talk to these people and try to get their help in removing the offending foods.
Your environment works against your diet success. It’s hard to resist fast food and coffee shops, huge restaurant portions, unhealthy snacks and all of the advertisements. As much as possible, you must take charge of your environment. Stay away from places where you are tempted. Read nutrition facts on packages to learn the correct food portion sizes. Always carry a healthy snack with you, or use chewing gum to distract yourself. And try using one of the new portion plates for your meals.
2) Most diets have rigid rules and requirements, and are hard to adapt to your lifestyle, habits and body’s specific needs. They offer a single approach, with no room for individual variations. One way to succeed is by developing a personalized plan. A doctor or dietician can help. You can find one locally, or through the Internet. A dietician can act as your coach or trainer, helping you stay on track. They can set up a specific, individualized diet plan.
3) There are hidden calories in many everyday foods. Even foods you think are healthy; for example, fruit juices and many “low-fat” products still have a lot of calories. Surprisingly, a frappuccino coffee can have up to 600 calories! Watch out for hidden sources of calories that can undermine your diet efforts.
4) You must be persistent to achieve diet success. Making good progress in your dieting efforts requires minimizing the number of times you ‘cheat’ and being persistent. Aim for slow, steady weight loss. It is much healthier to lose weight gradually. And it takes time. Don’t give up too soon.
5) Studies show that 95% of people who diet will gain all of the weight back within a few years. Don’t let that happen to you. Healthy weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight for life requires a commitment to changing your lifestyle. You will have to change your relationship with food. Find a diet and meal plan you can be comfortable with. A portion control plate can not only help you loose weight, but can be used to help keep the weight off.
Everyone is different, so try to find the diet that’s best for you. Doctors and nutritionists agree that there are several key elements in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. If you choose the right foods, limit calories using food portion control, increase your exercise and activity level, and don’t give up, you CAN be successful and achieve a healthy weight for life.
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