Saturday, December 16, 2006

Approaching Weight Loss Realistically

When you are trying to lose weight you need to remember to approach your diet realistically. Dieters can be grouped into three groups.

* The first group of dieters is the one that increase their physical activity
* The next group of people search for a diet in which they can either starve themselves or take a weigh loss supplement
* Our last group will eat sensibly and exercise daily

It doesn't matter which category you are in, you need a combination of exercise and healthy eating habits. Remember that how you go about losing your weight now will have an effect on how you keep the weight off in the future.

Beginning Your Diet

The first thing you need to do is to make an appointment with your doctor or a dietician. If you have certain health issues, it may affect your diet. Starting out healthy will assure you and your doctor that you will be able to lower your calorie intake and increase your physical activity at the same time. Also talk to your doctor if you have decided to take diet supplements, since they may interfere with any medication you may be on.

Diet Pills Are Not For Everyone

Many people want to lose weight and they want to lose it fast so they resort to cutting carbohydrates out of their diet or trying diet pills. This may work for some and it may not work for others. When losing weight fast, many times the weight comes back and when it comes back it is more than the amount of weight you have lost. You may have seen a friend or family member that tried Atkins and quickly lost weight. However, once they stop practicing the Atkins diet and return to eating carbs the end result is weight gain. Moderate weight loss is best and it will help you to maintain your weight long term. It only takes losing five to ten pounds to benefit your health.

Diet pills can be effective to jump start your diet along with:

* Eating healthy
* Exercising
* Drinking water

If you take a diet pill without changing any of your eating habits, you may be unhappy to find out the weight comes back. Diet pills are short term solutions and should be treated as such. However, along with healthy eating and moderate activity you can successfully achieve your weight loss goals.

Lose Weight Moderately

If you follow a low calorie and balanced diet you can average a weight loss of about two pounds a week. You may think it will take forever, but losing weight over a longer period of time will be better for you in the long run.

* Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day
* Plus some whole grains
* lean meats
* And some low fat dairy products

If you follow this plan you will lose inches and feel better about yourself. The important thing is to choose to lose weight sensibly and be committed to a longer term diet, one that will be healthier for you.