Sunday, November 30, 2008

Spot These 3 Pitfalls in a Calories Loss Diet and Lose Weight

By Rowena French

Even with the best of intentions, most people who start a calories loss diet generally give it up during its early stages. They do this because they are unaware of a number of very common pitfalls that stop them from succeeding in their quest to lose weight and get healthy. Learning to spot these early so that you can avoid them or work around them is a way to make sure that you stay on your diet and reach your weight loss goals.

Making radical changes to your eating habits happens all the time on diets, especially fad diets. If you go on a diet where you can only eat fruit, or only eat protein, or you must cut out all of one of kind of food it will be very difficult for you to stay on that diet. When you make changes to the way you eat you should make them gradually. If you make an extreme change to the way you eat and you do it fast then you will deprived and you will start to crave foods, making it more likely that you will go off your diet.

Seeking unattainable goals in your enthusiasm to succeed at the beginning of a calories loss diet is not uncommon. Many of us set goals that are achieved during the 'honeymoon' period of a diet within the first week or so, but because our weight loss then is largely water loss these can not continue to be achieved. Rapid weight loss at the outset of a diet is encouraging but you should not expect this on an extended basis. Weight loss professionals nominate one or two pounds weekly as a realistic and healthy weight loss so a weight loss goal of more than two pounds each week is unachievable. Make sure that you set realistic goals so that you can avoid the disappointment that always goes with aiming too high.

Eating food to celebrate your success is a very common social behavior and food is often at the center of celebrations both large and small. Drinks and nibbles on Friday night to celebrate a challenging week at the office is an accepted behavior. So if you are serious about your calories loss diet you need to either avoid these eating and drinking occasions or join in and enjoy the healthier food and drink options available. A glass or mineral water has way less calories than a beer! Another kind of celebration at the end of the week can include seeing a movie with friends (without the popcorn). Even something that will last longer like buying a new pair of shoes is a healthier way to celebrate without slowing down your weight loss. - 15995

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