Following a fad diet may work for a while, but ultimately it is not the best way to lose weight and keep it off. It is better to focus on what you want to eat rather than what you can't. Depriving yourself of some of your favorite foods can make you more likely to stop dieting. Diet alone often isn't enough. Making some simple lifestyle changes, and instituting them slowly, can be a more effective way of losing weight. Eating a balanced diet and increasing your physical activity could well be the key to success.
Step 1
Start with breakfast. After fasting all night, your body needs the energy that eating a healthy breakfast can give you. Eating breakfast can help you feel less likely to be hungry later in the day. MayoClinic.com states that people who eat breakfast are more likely to make healthier food choices all day.
Step 2
Concentrate on eating healthy foods, and don't limit yourself to only eating certain diet foods. Choose foods from all of the major food groups: whole-grain carbohydrates, lean protein, low-fat dairy, fruits and vegetables. Eating a well-rounded, balanced diet should help you feel less deprived and you'll be ingesting "healthier" calories.
Step 3
Don't forget to exercise. Increasing your physical activity is crucial to losing weight. The Diet Channel suggests 30 minutes of physical exercise five times per week. Take a brisk walk, ride your bike or exercise at your gym. The way you increase your activity isn't as important as actually increasing it. The added benefit of increasing your activity level is you are likely to feel better and become more fit. Exercising more will also help you build muscle mass, and muscle uses calories all day long.
Step 4
Boost your metabolism. When your metabolism is humming along, you burn more calories. Most people are not blessed with a speedy metabolism, but there are ways to keep it working at a higher rate all day. Eating more often keeps the metabolism working, so have four to six smaller meals instead of the usual three larger meals. Add additional physical activity to your day by taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking your car at the end of the lot. This helps to burn more calories.
Step 5
Get plenty of sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, you are more likely to gain weight. Exhaustion causes hunger and can impair your judgment. Plan on getting a regular eight hours of sleep every night.
Step 6
Change your thinking. HelpGuide.org encourages you to regard losing weight as a permanent change in your lifestyle. Find a plan that works for you and stick to it. Of course, there may be setbacks, but don't let them derail you. Focus on becoming healthy and not on losing weight. Think positively about losing weight and imagine yourself at your desired weight.
Step 7
Set realistic weight-loss goals. Realize that you are not going to lose 10 or 15 lbs. in a week. Set smaller goals, such as 1 or 2 lbs. per week. If you lose too much weight too fast, you will be losing some muscle mass, which is critical to keep your metabolism working steadily. More fat loss is achieved when you lose weight slowly.
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