Who wants to lose weight and get healthy? Most people I imagine. Diseases caused by overweight and obesity are at epidemic levels in developed economies particularly, though countries in the developing world are catching up as economic development occurs there as well.
There are so many gimmicks, diet plans and fads out there and it is so confusing now if you want to get sound advice as to how to go about achieving effective weight loss. To make matters worse, everyone wants the process to be quick and easy. I guess that sounds familiar ?
As a consultant exercise physiologist, I get contacted so often about the latest fads, even I get confused sometimes. However, the basics still apply when it comes to fat loss as it should more accurately be called rather than just weight loss.
The formula is that energy output needs to be greater than energy input. Simple ? Well, yes it is but with one qualification. The hardest thing for most people is motivation; having a big enough reason to get started and how to then develop good, ongoing habits for life.
The rest is just detail. You see, there are many machines, gyms, diets plans etc but these are all useless if you have no powerful reason to start a healthy lifestyle. I have counseled many people who wanted to make lifestyle changes but were not committed to doing whatever it took to develop habits that would last a lifetime.
Most of health behaviour change is about substitution; out with the old bad habits and in with the new, presumably healthy ones
So, how to make the change? First you need to have a long, hard look at where you are currently. Have you put on much weight over the years? Is there are family history of heart disease?
There could be warning signs that you should change before something drastic happens. Once you have identified a powerful enough trigger, you are halfway to making the change/s you need to make. But if the reason is someone elses and not truly yours, once the excitement of a new programme wears off, you may find you are back to square one.
So make sure you start with a strong reason for change. It might be to be there for your childrens future but it needs to be significant to ensure you get off to a strong start and this will enable you to stay the course when times get tough.
The never say diet approach is about lifestyle modification. It is truly the only way to beat the fads and the failure of the quick fix approach.
Before you take up another ridiculous fad diet make sure you thoroughly read the excellent free report on weight loss, and weight loss
