Tips About Dieting

Maintaining your ideal weight means a different approach to eating.

For every ten people who go on a diet, seven regain the weight they shed, and many put on several additional pounds. Being slim for life takes more then counting calories. That is the word from doctors who have developed effective weight-loss programs. Here are some of their secrets:

Never say diet. Researchers found that their best "losers" didn't go on a diet, but rather changed the way they ate. They cut out fats, avoided sweets or stopped snacking. Going on a diet implies going off a diet.

Be realistic. Trying to shrink to an impossibly low weight dooms you to defeat. Rapid-loss diets are ultimately damaging both physically and psychologically. The common pitfall of al these diets is the lack of adequate behavior modification and follow-up. When you stop eating and put the pounds back on, you feel like a failure. Studies show the next time you try to loose weight, it will take longer and you will gain even more weight back. The wise things to do are start slowly and make steady progress. Peel off, say, half a pound to a pound per week.

Make one change at a time. Too much deprivation can leave you ripe for a binge. Once you eliminate fatty foods, for instance, don't cut anything else out until you feel comfortable with that change.

Keep a diet diary. Immediately record every morsel that goes into your mouth. Read your diet frequently to know more about what, when and where you eat- and why.

Don't skip your meals. Meals eaters burn off ten percent more calories than meal skippers because every time they eat, their metabolic rate goes up. By eating three meals a day, you can burn up a hundred and fifty to two hundred calories more than if you didn't eat.

Don't go hungry. By restricting yourself to fewer than 800 to 1000 calories a day you may, in effect, be starving yourself. Your body could respond in three ways: you may retain water, your metabolism may slow down and you could be tempted to binge.

Take your time. Slow down and enjoy each bite. While you eat, avoid distractions such as watching television or reading at the table. At some point in your meal, pause- first for 30 seconds, then for longer periods. If you want second helpings, wait. Your brain needs 20 minutes to register that you are full.

Cut down on fat. A gram of fat has twice as many carbohydrates or protein. Calories from fatty foods are more likely to be stored as fat than those from protein or carbohydrates. Make a list of high-fat foods to cut down on or eliminate, including nuts, whole milk, chocolate, cookies, fried foods and steak.

Eat more starches. Complex carbohydrates, low in fat, sugar and calories, are good for weight control. You also burn more calories when digesting carbohydrates. Add such complex carbohydrates to your diet as potatoes, rice, pasta and corn.

Snack sensibly. Reach for plain popcorn, rice cakes, vegetables and fruit.

Don't give up at all. Find a way to enjoy your favorite foods. If you love French fries, bake a few potato strips rubbed with a little oil.

Exercise often. Exercise burns calories for up to 12 hours after your workout. It also helps your body lose fat rather than muscle.

Try, try again. Remember, a few dieters keep weight off on their first attempt. Failure is necessary for learning. The people who eventually succeed keep at it until they find a plan that works for them

Ninco, Ollerhead
"Tips on How to Loose Weight Fast."
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