By far, the most common reason that diets fail is due to the fact that people simply feel too deprived and they lose sight of their goals. While we all want to lose weight and feel better, the siren call of our favorite foods can be so powerful that we abandon these dreams and cave to our cravings. However, there are a few techniques that you can use to ensure that you'll be able to resist these calls and keep your diet on track.
The first key is to select a diet that contains the right balance of fats, proteins and carbs. Your body needs to have fuel to live and if you're depriving it of this necessary balance you're not only going to feel awful, but your body is going to start issuing some pretty strong demands. For example, if you attempt to completely cut sugar out of your life, your body, which has grown accustomed to this balance over the years is going to rebel.
This means that after a few days you may be so overwhelmed with cravings for sugar that you simply cannot help yourself. You can learn a very good lesson from a phenomenon that occurs when people adapt strict eating plans, such as fruitarianism. This is a type of vegetarianism where only fruit can be consumed. Over the first few weeks, most people who adopt this diet go through a period where they become so depleted and their bodies get so insistent that they binge without even realizing it.
The second key is to learn from these mistakes and adopt a natural regimen that will slowly train your body to accept your new food choices. Rome wasn't built in a day and you're not going to be able to suddenly start eating healthy and expect everything to go smoothly. You've got to take that time to retrain your body so that you can avoid falling off the wagon.
Let's use the example of giving up sugar soda entirely. This is a very easy way to instantly carve off ten pounds or more (or 300+ calories for 12oz if you dislike hyperbole), but it is very difficult to do. Instead of going cold turkey, start a gradual reduction. Cut back by one soda a day for the first week, then two sodas a day, until you get to the point where you are no longer drinking it. By slowing modifying your intake, your body has time to adjust and your cravings will not be so intense.
A commitment to weight loss requires more than just a week or too. It may take months or even years to achieve your goals. By taking it slow and listening to what your body needs, you can be assured that six months from now, you'll still be on track for your weight loss goals instead of being back where you started.
Losing weight is not easy, but you don't need to make it harder on yourself. Take the time that it takes and set realistic goals.
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2008-11-13 19:52:25. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Related Posts -
How to Retrain Your Cravings Whenever you start a new diet, cravings are pretty much inevitable. It can get to the point where you feel as though you'll literally stop existing unless you cave in. Countless diets are broken due to cravings, but there are a few techniques that you can use to retrain...... -
3 Weight Loss Techniques You Need to Avoid We all know that fad diets are a bad idea and rarely work, but it is so easy to get swept away by their claims that many forget this. Who doesn't want to lose ten pounds in a few days? The problem is, these diets not only are not...... - Biggest Loser Diet Review Pros - This is a diet that is easy to stick with. This is a diet that has shown to produce quick results. This is a diet that offers easy to prepare meal plans. This is a diet that is easy to follow on a long term basis. This is......
-
Reward Systems Work - The Key to Successful Weight Loss One of the hardest parts of dealing with a diet is the feeling that you are depriving yourself. Everyone needs a boost and for many people, food is the natural reward. Whether this started in childhood or became an acquired habit later in life, you'll need to find new...... -
5 Ways to Avoid Cheating on Your Diet Starting a diet can be a momentous event and most of us going into it with the best intentions. We want to lose weight and we want to look and feel better, at least for the first few days. Three days in however, and you may be ready to......
Related Websites - 3 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism If your weight loss goals are stuck in neutral, it's time to give your body's metabolism a swift kick in the pants to jumpstart your fat-burning engine. You are probably already eating a calorie-controlled diet -- good for you! You may also be increasing your activity level to try and...
- Money Spent On Diet Programs Is a Only a Waste If You Let It Be For 5 years, until a few months ago, I was a member of Gold's Gym. I started out eager, hired a personal trainer, and proceeded to burn away nearly 30lbs of total weight while adding some much-needed muscle mass. I believe I spent a little over $1,000 on the personal......
-
Curious About What is Involved in Training for a Triathlon? For people who are not professional athletes but are still interested in training for a triathlon, the concept of training ahead of time might seem like a lot of impossible work with no guarantee of any rewards. In reality, training for a triathlon is something that is well within your...... -
Expanding Your Financial Horizons Do you like to dream big or do you prefer to keep your financial dreams in check? The way that you answer this question may have a big impact on your future. If you're consistently dreaming small, you may be shooting yourself in the foot before you ever take that...... -
Personal Balance Sheet, March 2008: Net Worth +3.83% After 4 months of meticulously tracking our financial data, I think we may have turned our boat around. Our numbers seem to keep growing when last year we were seeing nothing but red. Considering the condition of the markets, I think we may have seen the worst of our days......
- South Beach Diet Weight Management
- Discount Low Carb Products Cheap Weight Loss Journal Low Carb Store
- Low Carb Diet Weight Management
- Atkins Diet Weight Management
Time the change your life? No longer content to live a sedentary lifestyle and revel in couch potatoism? Click here to download the 31 page the 100% FREE eBook "How to Lose Weight and Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle."
Categories:
carbohydrates, fats, goals, healthy eating, proteins, sugar
Tags:
4 comments ↓
I actually AM trying to cut out sugar from my diet. This is a personal decision. Sugar tastes really good and gives a temporary buzz, but for me, sugar equals unbalance - both nutritionally and physically.
Yes, the cold turkey doesn’t work with me in regards to sugar - been there, done that with horrible repercussions! Now I’m working on slowly weaning myself of it, like you suggested, in order to avoid that shock to the system.
“Let’s use the example of giving up soda entirely. This is a very easy way to instantly carve off ten pounds or more, but it is very difficult to do. Instead of going cold turkey, start a gradual reduction. Cut back by one soda a day for the first week, then two sodas a day, until you get to the point where you are no longer drinking it.”
Or just switch straight to Diet Soda?
I’ve seen a few times lately suggestions about giving up soda but nobody - not one person - recommends switching to diet sodas. Coke Zero tastes pretty much identical to regular (red) Coke and has about 1.3 calories per can.
I personally don’t have any problems with sugar-free, artificially-sweetened drinks, but I know some people do. But even if that’s the case, surely switching to diet soda makes more sense and is far less of a ‘cold turkey’ move than cutting them out altogether or even weaning yourself off of them? You’ll get the weight loss benefits and, more importantly, not feel like you’re missing out. Psychologically, this is a huge deal. Once your diet starts feeling like a chore - and it has to be for the rest of your life to be succcessful - chances are that you will fail.
The best diet is always one of moderation - I like a ratio of 80/20, where for 80% of the week I’m super-strict (I eat low-GI, which works great for me), and then for the other 20% or so I eat whatever I want. For me, this breaks down to six days of eating clean, and one day - Saturday - of whatever. This way, I never feel like I’m missing out, as I know it’s only six days until my next chocolate chip muffin!
However, because 80% of the time my body is getting the good stuff (I also run run every single day as well), I continue to stay in great shape.
As you say, don’t make it too hard, people - this is why most people don’t succeed when it comes to weight loss or control (or even weight gain, if you’re a bodybuilder).
you know I entirely believe in this.
for me if the way I ate required tremendous WILL POWER I couldntwouldnt do it.
(youre the guest poster today—just a reminder)
@Sheamus
All I drink is diet soda… (At least when I am drinking soda…)
One of the things I am not supposed to have on my diet (but I cheat on) is caffeine. (I get it almost exclusively through a non fat latte and diet soda.)
Leave a Comment