DECIDING TO START A DIET Obesity is not only unhealthy, but unattractive as well.
We see beautiful clothing in stores or worn by other people.
When we try them on, the look is totally different and unflattering.
Many overweight people limit themselves to large or baggy clothes to hide the weight.
You have decided to lose those pounds for GOOD.
You go through your cabinets and dispose of all those unhealthy goodies you like so much.
You start by drinking water and eating those salads.
Some of us search the web and eliminate entire food groups without knowing the effect on our health.
SO, WHY DO DIETS FAIL? A week or two later, the thought of eating one more salad is not appealing at all.
If you add the flavorful salad dressing that makes the salad tasty, you have added back the calories you were trying to eliminate.
You decide to have a nice, tasty dinner.
The problem is, you have not planned or completed research so probably do not know how many calories you are consuming nor the fat content of the food.
Before you know it, you are right back to old eating habits.
In essence, most of us need professional help, such as a nutritionist.
Dieting is not a simple process.
Some diets eliminate whole food groups such as carbohydrates and fats.
The truth is, we need both these food groups for good organ function and energy.
Another reason diets fail is that habits are hard to break.
In most cases, bad eating habits are what lead to excess weight.
It is nearly impossible to totally change your habits on your own.
HOW TO SUCCEED WITH A DIET? The main way to start and sustain a diet is to make a plan and go gradually.
Make one change in your diet.
When you have stuck with and become accustomed to that change, add another small change until you have become comfortable with your new lifestyle and lost weight as you replaced the bad habits with the good.
Equally important is to obtain some type of guidance or program you can follow to plan your meals and chart your successes and failures.
With professional help, you can learn what foods to eat, when to eat them, how much to eat and the effect of foods on your health.
Also, you can benefit from coaching to help you overcome hurdles you will most likely face.
Diets often fail if we try on our own, but if we seek help we are much more likely to succeed.