Most diets/slimming plans
fail at some point – the weight loss is non-existent or dramatic followed by a return to, or even exceeding, the starting point. If there’s no loss at all, it’s probably because you can't follow it 'cos the diet is extreme, with lots of banned foods and teeny portions of what is allowed, maybe combined with lots of unaccustomed exercise. Dramatic weight loss through starvation or by eating only specific foods usually results in the ‘slimmer’ going back to their old, bad ways and piling on the pounds again. The key problem in both scenarios is that the diet is unsustainable.
If you really want to lose weight, I believe the way to do it is this:– First decide what weight you want to be – this is your Target Weight. No matter how far the target is from where you are now, aim to achieve the necessary loss in small increments. Even if you are currently gaining weight, just a small adjustment to your calorific intake and a small adjustment to the amount of exercise you take will be enough to start you on your way. The beauty of this approach is that, although your weight loss is gradual, when you do achieve your target – and
you will achieve it – you have only to make a very small adjustment again to stay at that weight. By that time, too, your body will be used to your new, healthier way of life so you won’t be tempted to relapse.
How can you make the necessary changes?
Above all else,
eat well - that is enjoy a
balanced diet, eating whatever doesn't make you ill. Trying to survive on cabbage soup, for instance, is not sensible. Reduce your calorific intake a little.
Stop eating out of habit – so just because you always have a slice of cake with your tea is not a good reason to continue doing so. Cut out that cake, or if you routinely eat 2 slices, cut down to 1. Accept that
you don’t need to clear your plate. So stop eating when you are no longer hungry, there’s no need to feel guilty if you leave some – you could always wrap it and have it with your next meal, but you will soon learn how much is enough and you can stop putting too much on your plate in the first place. By all means try ‘low fat’ versions of the foods you like, but accept that they may not be as tasty – if you can tolerate low fat versions, OK, but don’t get ‘hung up’ on them, if they don’t work for you, don’t use them.
Give yourself an occasional treat, but every time you do, compensate for the extra calories by taking some more exercise.
Get more exercise. We use up to 50% more energy standing up than sitting down. So if you make a conscious effort to spend more of the day on your feet, that in itself will burn more calories with no real effort on your part. If you work in an office, choose to stand up when you answer the ‘phone (it’s proven that if you stand up your calls will be over quicker, so that’s another benefit), when you talk to colleagues, when you need to read something. If you travel by bus, get off one stop earlier than usual and walk that part of the journey – again you’re using energy but there’s no real effort. If you can, walk to the school or shops instead of taking the car, it will save you money and cut emissions at the same time. If you would like to take formal exercise, start easily rather than going all out at the beginning – for instance 5 minutes a day of slow walking for a week, then build up your speed over the course of the next week so you are still doing 5 minutes but by the end of week 2 you are doing it at a brisk pace. Then increase to 7 minutes for the next week, 10 for the next and so on. By the time you get to 20 minutes of brisk walking a day, your body will be used to it.
So you will know how you’re doing, weigh yourself once a week, always at the same time. Congratulate yourself if your weight has gone down since last week, but
don’t beat yourself up otherwise. You should be able to notice results month by month and if the trend is always down, that’s all you need.
If you need help to follow this easy approach to weight loss, try hypnotherapy to stiffen your resolve.
