They say the best things come to those who wait - and it is true that patience is a virtue. That is because taking your time allows you to weigh up the options and eventually pick the right one. With that in mind you should think carefully about how you are going set about a weight loss routine.
Before starting a weight loss plan a visit to the doctor or a dietician is well worth considering. These people are trained in what you should and shouldn’t do to lose weight and will give you free advice on how to get started and how much weight you should target to lose every week. Government websites are also good sources of free information. So you don’t need to buy weight loss books just start searching the internet.
Take the time now to sort through the information that is out there and think through carefully how you intend to lose weight. With that done you have taken the first step to quickly losing weight.
As part of your planning process you need to start considering how many calories you are currently consuming. After all you can’t change what you don’t know!
It is a good idea to get a notebook, or use your journal if you keep one, and start writing down everything you eat and drink. Also write down when you ate, how long you spent eating and what size of portion you had. You may not know this but the length of time you spend eating does affect how well you digest your food and so impacts on your weight. So be diligent and start writing it all down.
Your journal should be kept as honestly as possible. Resist the temptation to fiddle the figures. Remember that through cheating the book you are ultimately cheating yourself.
Having kept your journal for a couple of weeks you will be wanting to get started on losing weight quickly. So you now want to go back though your journal and look at what you consume on a weekly basis. Sit down and highlight the foods that you know you need to reduce or cut out completely.
For instance, you may spot that you are drinking a lot of fizzy drinks. If so then simply reduce the amount of these you drink - or drink water (flavored or unflavored) instead. Always be thinking about the healthier options you could be using. For example do you like putting mayonnaise on your sandwiches? Have you thought about using mustard instead?
There are many low fat and low calorie alternatives for most foods these days. And these can be naturally produced and very tasty. For all meals try and eat healthily. Aim to reduce or cut out completely red meat such as beef and pork from your meals. Opt instead for lean meats such as turkey, chicken or fish. Many fish in particular are low in fat but are also an excellent source of antioxidants. So choose salmon, fresh tuna or sardines. Not only will this help you lose weight but it is better all round for your health.
A little of what you fancy is not going to do you much harm. In fact the odd food treat every now and again can actually benefit you from the release of endorphins that can result from it. The problem is when foods like chocolate stop becoming a treat and become a habit or daily part of your diet.
Sweets and chocolates should be something you have as an odd treat they should not be part of your daily life. Chocolates are not a health food and should not be part of your diet. Even the 70% cocoa chocolates are not good for you. While they may contain less sugars they still contain saturated fats. And remember if you feel like some chocolate then there are now healthier options where manufacturers have combined chocolate with cereals.
Remember it is not about depriving yourself it is about building good eating habits and avoiding bad ones.
As I mentioned at the beginning patience is a virtue and no more so than when it comes to healthy ways to lose weight quickly.
Stay the course. It might take two or three weeks before you start to notice the changes but they will happen and when you start to feel your clothing that bit looser you will know that you are on the right track.
Keeping your motivation up is one of the most difficult aspects of dieting. There will be days when healthy eating goes out the window and there will be weeks where you may not lose any weight - or put a little back on.
This is normal for everyone - dieters or not - so don’t let it undo your plans for a slimmer you. You’re not doing anything ‘wrong’, but you may need to look at your plan. Do you need to increase your activity levels? Make a few more changes to your diet? Put more effort into sticking to your current plan?
Etta Moncur dedicates her life to helping people around the world combat weight loss and fitness problems. Etta’s research has led her to finding one proven weight loss program that is being used with great effect by many people. To obtain a complimentary report on Think Yourself Thin go to www.think-yourself-thin.com.