Even the most intelligent people sometimes buy into the diet industry's giant machine of misinformation about how to lose weight. The truth is, losing weight requires only a few basic things: improved eating, physical activity and a commitment to mental and physical well-being. Once you learn in your bones that get-slim quick campaigns and big promises about perfect diets don't work, you can being to apply some common sense strategies to your life and let healthful living become second-nature.
Exercise Can be Fun
You have to exercise at least 30 minutes per day to maintain heart health and to lose weight. It's just a fact of life. So rather than fight yourself about staring at the wall in your gym while you pedal the exercise bike, choose something that gets you excited. Join a sports team, take a dance class, grow a massive garden or hike through the woods to get your heart rate up and burn calories.
Nobody Eats Perfectly
The skinny girl at your gym may claim she never eats fat or carbs or chocolate, but she's probably lying. Food is a part of life and enjoying it is part of what makes us human. You can eat any food that you can possibly conceive of and still lose weight as long as you practice balance. A light lunch can allow for a more decadent dinner. A few days of extra-healthy eating can offset a few days of bad choices. Strive for balance, not perfection.
Food Rules Cause Food Cravings
Think of your appetite as a child. When you tell her she can't have something, all of a sudden she wants it in the worst way. The same goes for food rules. When you tell yourself you're never eating anything but green vegetables and grilled chicken breasts ever again, you set yourself up for food cravings. If you can have whatever you want, whenever you want, you'll want certain foods less because they'll always be there at your disposal, according to the authors of the best-selling book "Intuitive Eating."
Weight Loss Won't Solve all Your Problems
It's nice to be fit and healthy, but it isn't a magic wand you can wave over your life to solve your problems. If you struggle with unresolved emotional issues, adding therapy to your weight loss plan can help you get rid of some habits that might be holding you back, both from losing weight and living your life to the fullest.
Weight Loss Isn't the Point of Your Existence
Being on a diet for some people is like a second full-time job. Diet and exercise doesn't have to be the point of your existence. Instead, you should focus on letting your healthy lifestyle become so routine that it slips into the background of your life. Constant planning, thoughts about food, calorie counting and guilt don't have to be part of any weight loss plan.
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