Did you know that 95% of dieters fail to lose weight permanently? Pretty daunting huh?
I'm not trying to give you an excuse to abandon your health and weight loss goals. A little education can help you succeed at permanent weight loss. The top 5 changes you need to make may surprise you.
1. Commit to Permanent Lifestyle Changes
Stop thinking about weight loss as a diet that you will go off of once you have lost the weight. Diets aren't sustainable because inevitably the weight creeps back when people return to their pre-diet unhealthy eating habits.
Successful weight loss means making a commitment to adopting a healthy lifestyle. That doesn't mean perfection. Follow the 90/10 rule and exercise regularly, and you will keep the weight off.
2. Get Educated About Healthy Food Choices
Rigid diets that require you to eat only cabbage soup for days or drink shakes instead of meals don't teach you how to make healthy food choices. The same goes for Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig where you get prepackaged meals delivered. Sure those programs would love for you to stay on them forever!
Successful dieters educate themselves about what to eat and how to eat to stay slim and healthy for life. Don't listen to the marketing claims of food conglomerates or supplement peddlers. Here are some lose weight resources that cut through the hype www.lose-weight-for-life.com/lose-weight-resources.html.
3. Scare Yourself About the Risks of Being Overweight
On July 7 ABC Evening News had a segment called "What Exactly Does a 6,190 Calorie Lunch Do To Your Body?" I promise you'll be scared after this 2 and a half minute video. blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/07/what-exactly-does-a-6190-calorie-lunch-do-to-your-body.html.
The risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes can be significantly reduced by maintaining a healthy weight and moderate exercise.
Sure heredity plays a role. But don't be conned into believing there's nothing you can do - on the contrary, eating healthy and exercising regularly will profoundly impact your quality of life.
Do you want to dance at your grandkids' weddings? Enjoy the retirement you've worked so hard for? Then commit to healthy weight loss.
4. Adopt a Whole Food, Plant-based Diet
What's the healthiest diet? A vegan diet, with maybe a serving of fish high in Omega-3s once or twice a week. But of course that doesn't sell weight loss products or diet books, so it's almost impossible to learn that fact. Be skeptical when you hear claims that sound too good to be true. Think about the motivation behind them.
Even the nutrition experts who disagree on everything else agree that we would all be healthier if we consumed "mostly plants". (Check out In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan for the source on this www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/0143114964/ref=sr_1_1).
5. Don't Put Off Making Changes
Don't practice "all or nothing behavior" or put off making healthy lifestyle changes until conditions are perfect. Start today, right now with your next meal.
How many times have you eaten something "forbidden" and then binged the rest of the day, justifying it by saying to yourself that you already blew it so you'll start again tomorrow.
Or you look ahead and see your cousin's wedding, a family reunion, the holidays, whatever and you think "I can't possibly eat healthy tomorrow, this week, this month, or during the holidays". Before you know it, you've gained another 10 pounds and you're no closer to getting started.
Don't fall in to that trap. Every meal and snack is an opportunity to fill your body with healthy, wholesome food. Don't feel guilty. Just eat healthy 90% of the time and you'll reach your goal.
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