Ten Secrets of Successful Dieting
The true secret of dropping pounds and toning your body is not something you’ll see on a TV infomercial or read in the next diet book or hear on the news. The real solution is not a fad diet, but simply a lifestyle change. To change your lifestyle means to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones. Not temporarily for a week or a month, but consistently, so those new habits will define your new lifestyle.
Here is a list of the 10 best habits that will help you to change your lifestyle and reach and maintain your weight loss and fitness goals.
Control Portions
Not long ago, a cup of coffee with milk and sugar measured in at 8 ounces and 45 calories. Today, that cup has been replaced with a 16-ounce Grande Mocha Frappuccino, with a whopping 380 calories. Lately, most meals, snacks and drinks have grown to enormous proportions with calories to match. It would take hours of exercise every day to burn all those extra calories. Successful weight “losers” always control their food portions. Research shows portion control is the greatest predictor of successful weight loss. Learn to read nutrition labels; measure out servings; eat only a single helping; use smaller serving dishes; and resist the urge to “clean your plate.”
Be Mindful When Eating
Many people turn to food when they are bored or stressed and don’t pay attention to what they are eating. Ask yourself why you are heading to the fridge. Are you really hungry or are you really just bored, stressed, sad, or tired? Pay attention to everything you eat. Emotional eating can wreak havoc on a well-planned weight management program.
Exercise Regularly
Fitness is key to losing weight and keeping it off. More than 94% of participants in the National Weight Control Registry who succeeded in their goals had increased their rate of physical activity. Many who lost weight simply started walking for at least 1 hour per day. And for those who kept the weight off, exercise was also crucial. This was evident because the participants who dropped out of fitness programs ended up putting the pounds back on. Although walking and other cardiovascular exercise is important, be sure to follow a resistance training program to help preserve lean muscle, burn calories, and keep up your metabolic rate.
Check the Scale
While it’s not necessary to weigh yourself every day or be obsessive about your weight to the nearest 0.01 pound, to successfully lose weight and maintain your weight loss, keep an eye on the scale. Weigh yourself at least once per week. This allows you to identify small weight increases in time to take appropriate corrective action.
Eat Breakfast
More than 75% of the successful National Weight Control Registry participants eat breakfast daily. Research suggests that breakfast eaters weigh less and suffer from fewer chronic diseases than people who skip breakfast.
Monitor Your Calorie Intake
One of the strongest predictors of successful and maintained weight loss is monitoring dietary intake. While it can be tedious to keep a daily food log, research has shown that this practice is a highly effective and proven strategy. It is very eye opening for most people when they start logging their food intake.
Turn off the TV
Time spent watching TV is time spent sitting still and expending minimal amounts of calories. Most people mindlessly consume snacks while watching television, not even noticing their calorie intake. Successful weight “losers” watch less than 10 hours of television per week. Quite simply, if you’re watching TV, don’t eat; if you’re eating, don’t watch TV.
Get Organized
Become better organized by writing a grocery shopping list and sticking to it. Make sure the fridge and pantry are always stocked with healthy foods and snacks and remove the junk foods. Plan your workout schedule for the next week and make a promise to stick to it. These simple efforts will help solidify your lifestyle change and make permanent weight loss maintainable.
Start Today and Don’t Cheat
It’s easy to put off starting a serious lifestyle change. There will always be an excuse to wait, and there will never be a perfect time to start, so just do it now! It’s also important to be diligent after you start your weight loss program and don’t cheat. Studies show that people who don’t cheat on a regular basis are 150% more likely to maintain their weight loss, so don’t sabotage yourself.
Hang Out With Healthy People
A study of 12,067 people followed over 32 years concluded that obese people tend to have obese friends. If you are around others who are overweight, it will seem “acceptable” to be overweight with no motivation to change. You can reverse this mindset by spending time with friends and family who are fit or who have similar weight loss and fitness goals.
Don't let another day go by that leaves you a slave to unhealthy habits. Take action now to recreate your lifestyle and redefine your body. Start by choosing a few of these healthy habits that are the easiest for you, and then add one a week until you have achieved your new healthy lifestyle and the weight loss and improved fitness that goes with it!
Ed Ferrell, owner of Fitness Together in Temecula, has 8 years of experience as a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and is nationally certified by NASM, ISSA, NESTA, NCSF and NHE. If you would like more information or would like to schedule a free, no obligation training session and fitness consultation, call (951) 302-2995 or visit www.fttemecula.com
