The learning curve for anything new is always steepest in the beginning. When you're a beginner, dieting can seem challenging and daunting. On the other hand, understanding a few major concepts will help you achieve positive results. Changes you make may include limiting simple carbohydrates, counting calories, drinking plenty of water and keeping a journal.
Food Choices
Eating a more healthy diet may seem like an obvious starting point for a beginner's diet plan, but its exact meaning may be unclear. Limiting simple sugars an easy place to start. Foods you should remove include sodas, sweetened breakfast cereals, breads made with white or enriched flour, chips, candy and fast food. Don't be afraid to go through your food pantry and remove all of these foods. If they are within reach, you're more likely to eat them, so get rid of them.
Consume Fewer Calories
The secret to losing weight, or decreasing the volume of fat cells, otherwise known as adipocites, is to consume fewer calories per day than your body uses. Even if you did nothing other than lie in bed for a week, your body would still use calories for normal everyday functioning. It takes energy to breathe, pump blood, oxygenate cells and process waste through the kidneys, liver and gastric system. These and countless other processes maintain homeostatsis -- a level body environment. The body is never fully at rest, which is why proper nutrition is important to overall health.
Hydration
Most people are chronically dehydrated. Many of the drinks that are most common are also diuretics, causing hormones in the body to engage the kidneys to excrete fluids. Caffeine is one of the main culprits, found in colas, energy drinks, coffee and tea. Alcohol is another cause of dehydration. The Food and Nutrition Board suggests that women should drink 2.7L of water per day, and men should drink 3.7L. Make it your goal to consume 1 gallon of water each day for the first week. This may seem challenging, but the discipline and commitment it takes to achieve this simple goal is indicative of your commitment to the new healthier eating regimen and lifestyle you are trying to achieve.
Journaling for Success
Use a notebook to document your goals and eating patterns. Use a few pages in the front and write down your goals. This list should include time frames to meet the goals, including one-month, three-month and six-month goals. In the back of the journal, list the foods, drinks and other contributors as a reminder to your previous less-than-healthy dietary habits. Write down your daily caloric intake, including fluids. Be honest in this process; if you eat junk food, write it down. If you have a successful day or make a breakthrough, reward yourself with a nonfood treat. Fueling your body is one of your most important jobs, which includes not overfeeding it or under-nourishing it.
Have Realistic Expectations
No one is perfect and learning to eat a healthier diet is, for some, a lifelong process that is acquired through education, experience and most importantly, gaining the discipline to make the right decisions for your body. Don't be too hard on yourself; just keep pressing forward in the direction of health and good decisions. The positive body changes will follow.
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