If you want to lose weight, the first thing you must accept is that the weight will not magically disappear. You did not gain all of the weight overnight and you should not expect to wake up after one day of dieting to find you have lost it all. Below are a few things to avoid and signs to watch for while dieting.
Fad Diets
You may wonder “what is a fad diet?” In short, fad diets promise to help you shed the pounds quickly. There are a number of different ones out there with the most popular being the “Atkins Diet” and the “Paleo Diet.” Each one has particular foods that they recommend and foods that they want you to avoid. While they appeal to the public due to the weight loss promise, many people lose weight initially, however, they tend to quickly put the pounds back on and then some.
Starving Your Body
If you don’t like what you see in the mirror, you may try fasting as a way to get the pounds off quickly. When done incorrectly this is something that can be very dangerous to the body. When you avoid eating or simply don’t fuel your body with enough calories in the form of nutrients you lose energy, focus and it can have long term impacts on your body.
Skin, Hair and Nail Changes
When you don’t get vitamins and minerals from your food, your body can show signs of malnutrition on the outside. For instance, your skin may appear yellowish or pale, your hair brittle and lifeless and your nails on your fingers and toes may change color and develop an uneven texture.
Dehydration
Many people who diet don’t understand the body’s need for water. First, if you are dieting, water actually temporarily suppresses hunger, so you eat less. However, there are many other reasons to drink it daily. Water removes waste from the body, keeps your mouth healthy through saliva, assists with brain power, helps regulate your body temperature and prevents dehydration.
What Works
There’s no way around it, if you want to lose weight, keep it off, and remain healthy, it’s a
process and lifestyle change. First, set realistic, achievable goals. Say you’re 30 to 50 pounds overweight. Make a goal of losing 5 pounds each month. Second, you must expect to make lifestyle changes. Slowly incorporate good for you foods and reduce your intake of foods that provide little or no nutritional value. Reduce is the key word, not eliminate. The second you think that you must do without something, that’s when the diet ends. So you can still have a slice of chocolate pie on occasion, just not often.
Dieting is something that many people try and fail at doing. Make sure that you don’t expect too much too soon. Eat good foods and moderate your intake of fast foods and sweet treats. The good news is that each day you diet correctly, you’ll get closer to achieving your weight loss goals and you will now know how to eat right and keep the weight off.
