There's a huge amount of information available about dieting and weight loss, yet people are still making the same mistakes almost every day. I do not mean little lapses where you had a piece of pie that you should not have had, but big mistakes that can lead to you failing to lose the weight that you're desperate to lose. But if you can avoid these mistakes, you can develop the attitude that will lead to permanent weight loss. Is this you:
1. You pick out a diet that is so complex that you have almost no chance of sticking to it. You search the kitchen for anything that does not fit the plan and throw it in the bin. You know for a fact that this is going to be perfect, and you'll stick to it 100%, and it's until something happens that makes you skip part of the plan, only once, but that's no point in continuing. In fact, you're never going to lose weight so you head off to the store and buy everything that you've thrown out and spend the next month piling the pounds back on as fast as you can. If this is you then you need to ask yourself 'Am I serious about losing weight permanently or am I happy' yoyo 'dieting, where I lose a few pounds and then enjoy the feeling of eating to put the weight back on?' You're better making small changes to your eating habits so that you have a slow but steady weight loss.
2. You treat your diet plan as a period of absence. You will not allow yourself to have any of your favorite foods until you hit your target weight. You have a fantastic diet plan and the weight just falls away, but then you reach your goal and then what? What you have not done is train yourself to eat the 'bad foods' in moderation, so as soon as you get a taste, you go crazy and stuff yourself. Let yourself have a little bit of everything in your diet and you can learn to enjoy it in small quantities.
3. You need to set yourself goals that you can achieve. This is an absolute necessity for any diet or weight loss plan. Your goals must be clear and realistic. If you write them down you can look at them regularly and give yourself a reminder. You probably have an ideal weight in mind, but unless you are only a little overweight it is probably too far off to be of any use. A more realistic target would be to lose two pounds every week for the first five weeks and then one pound per week afterward until you reach your ideal weight. Some weeks you'll exceed your target and some weeks you will not reach it, some weeks you might even put a little weight on, but if you can keep track of your progress, you'll see that these ups and downs are a natural thing, and you can continue progressing to your perfect weight.
If you make a mistake while you're following your plan, do not panic! Treat it like riding a bike, if you fall off, just get yourself back on as soon as possible. Do not use your mistakes as a reason for giving up. The only chance you have of achieving your goal permanently is to decide that you are going to be a healthier person and stick to that decision. Eating normally means eating different amounts on different days. If you can learn to enjoy food in moderation, you have every chance of succeeding in your mission. Bon Appetit (but not too Bon, eh?)!
Source by Su Jackson
