So, you want to lose weight. Well, you are not alone. Diseases caused by overweight and obesity are at epidemic levels in the Western world particularly, though countries in the developing world are catching up as economic development occurs there.
There are so many diet plans and fads out there. It is so confusing now if you want to get sound advice as to how to go about effective weight loss. And to make matters worse, everyone wants it to be quick and easy. Sound familiar ?
As an exercise physiologist, I get constantly bombarded with the latest fads but the basic principles still apply when it comes to weight loss or fat loss as it should more correctly be called.
The formula is still the same as it has always been. Energy output needs to be greater than energy input. Simple ? Well, yes and no. The hardest thing for most people is motivation; how and why to get started and how to develop good, ongoing habits for life.
The rest is just the detail. There are many machines, gyms, diets plans, abdominal machines etc but these are all nearly useless if you have no powerful reason to start a healthy lifestyle. I have chatted with many people who wanted to make lifestyle changes but were not prepared to do whatever it was going to take to develop habits that would last the distance.
Most of exercise and health behaviour is all about change or substitution; out with the old and in with the new, presumably healthy routine.
So, how do you make this change? First you need to consider where you are starting from. Have you put on much weight over the years? Belt line a bit tighter than it used to be? Heart risk in your family?
There could be warning signs that you should change before something serious happens, like a heart attack. Once you have identified a powerful enough trigger, you are a long way toward making the change you need to make. But if the reason is weak and not truly yours, once the excitement of a new routine wears off, you may find you are back to square one. So look closely at the factor most influencing your desire to change.
So, be aware and make sure you start with a strong resonating reason for change. It is the most effective way to ensure you get off on the right path and this will enable you to stay the course when times get tough.
The never say diet approach is about lifestyle changes. It is truly the only way to reliably 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
