When it comes to losing weight, chances are if you're trying fad diets and special detox programs, you're pretty fed up that the results never seem to last. Why is this? Well, most of us can only keep up with an extreme diet for so long. Once we've reached our goal weight, we can't wait to start eating "normally" again. The problem is, that "normal" eating is what caused all that weight gain in the first place. As soon as you go back to eating the same way you used to, those pounds come marching back on.

In order to successfully lose weight and keep it off, you're going to have to address your entire lifestyle. This means looking at what you eat, why you eat it and how much you exercise. Let's look at what you eat first. While there is nothing wrong with the occasional treat or cheat, most of us get into the habit of overindulging in the food we like, and making bad choices when it comes to picking foods.

We're naturally wired towards wanting foods that taste good and too often this means fast food, pizza and things that can be really bad for our health and our waist lines. In order to start making lifestyle changes, you've got to identity what you're eating and how you could be eating differently. The best way to do this is to keep a food diary for an entire week. Add up all of your calories when you're done and you'll probably be amazed at just how bad your diet really is.

Next, you'll need to address why you eat these things. Is it simply because they taste good? Healthy food can taste good too, but you'll need to find the recipes that appeal to you. Is it because you need comfort? It's best to find comfort in things that don't cause your weight to go up. For example, instead of indulging in an entire pizza because you've had a bad day, go do an activity that you get a lot of enjoyment out of, go shopping or go get a massage. By targeting the reasons behind your eating problem, you can start to make changes that will redirect all of that energy into a more healthy direction.

Lastly, you need to address how much exercise you actually get. Most of us really don't get enough and let's face it, few find exercise to be truly enjoyable. You need to rewire your thinking process and find exercises that you actually do enjoy. If you hate aerobics, don't torture yourself! Find exercises like walking or swimming that actually appeal to you. Set aside time every day and really apply yourself.

The results that you get will get you hooked and once you get past that initial stage of the agony and the inconvenience, chances are you're going to find that exercise really isn't that bad. With these kinds of changes, you can make a new life for yourself that you can enjoy for years to come.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-07-29 05:14:05. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Related Posts

• How to Keep Weight Off Permanently How many times have you gone on a diet, only to gain back the weight, plus a little dividend? For many people, dieting is a vicious cycle full of ups and downs, and plenty of discouragement. If you want to keep your weight off permanently, you are going to......
• How to Stop Emotional Eating For many of us, it is a natural reaction to turn to food when we are upset, happy, sad or depressed. Over time, this reaction becomes a learned activity that we resort to without even realizing it. Whether your parents used food rewards when you were growing up or......
• Tips For Picking the Right Foods If you are focusing on losing weight and making lifestyle changes, the first two weeks are undoubtedly the hardest. Your body and your mind need time to adjust to your diet, and this initial period requires a lot of motivation and a desire to stick to your new plan. Anytime......
• The Value of Healthy Eating for Children Healthful eating habits are most commonly formed long before kids are even able to choose their own foods. Little ones can adopt the same eating habits that their parents exhibit. Parents and child care providers alike are the first role models that children will ever encounter when it comes to......
• The Gold Coast Cure The main focus of this book is getting healthy over the long term, so right off the bat it moved to the front of our book shelves. Too many diet books promise readers the moon and deliver only yet another fad diet that doesn't work or leaves the reader open......

Related Websites

• Cooking with lard the rediscovery of an ancient taste     [gallery columns="2" orderby="post_name"]   There is an ingredient that is very much neglected, but very used in the past. I am speaking of the lard, that knew in the medieval times its biggest popularity. The arrival of the barbaric tribes changed the large use of olive oil into......
• 101 thoughts on losing 100 pounds I lost a lot of weight a few years ago. I lost even more a couple of years ago, then gained some of it back when we had our first child. It's not just women who gain weight during pregnancy! However, I have still managed to keep most of......
• How To Figure Out Taxable Income for a Recent Graduate This post is part of a three post series which walks a recent graduate through filling out their W-4 and filing their taxes. After these three posts, recent grads should be squared away with Uncle Sam come April. Post 1: How To Fill Out A W-4 For A Recent Graduate...
• My daughter can earn 1% on her money for a while Today I opened a savings account for my 2 1/2 year old daughter at our credit union.  The savings account only pays 1% right now.  This is really low compared with online savings accounts, but is above the national average for brick-and-mortar institutions.I thought about this after leaving the bank,......
• Festive Link Love Carnivality #28 There's just a few days left to enter my contest for a chance to win one of three Amazon gift cards ($75, $15, $10)!  Basically just answer the question: What will you be doing with your finances in the next year? Hurry up, the contest ends October 15th! If......

Online Stores

• Foods, Bars Snacks Weight Management
• Foods, Meals Foods, Bars Snacks Weight Management
• Bars Foods, Bars Snacks Weight Management
• Discount Low Carb Products Cheap Weight Loss Journal Low Carb Store
• Snacks, Treats Foods, Bars Snacks Weight Management

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.

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:

calories, detox, diet, exercise, fad diets, goals, healthy eating

Tags:

bad day, calories, choices, detox programs, diet, fad diets, fast food, food diary, food pizza, goal weight, habit, health, healthy food, lifestyle changes, losing weight, massage, recipes, shopping, waist lines, weight gain