When it comes to weight loss, everyone wants to find the diet that will work the fastest or the detox that will get you to your goal weight in less time. There are more than enough programs offering a quick fix for weight loss, but long-term changes in your body come from the lifestyle choices you make part of your life every day.
Making real changes in your lifestyle and sticking to them instead of being fooled by diet fads and their promised results will pay off, even if it doesn’t appear to be working as quickly.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who lose weight gradually and steadily are more successful at keeping the weight off.
Lifestyle changes for weight loss don’t have to be colossal. Solutions such as cutting out all carbs and skipping meals aren’t long-term answers, and they are simply unrealistic. Telling yourself you are never going to have a bagel again and then feeling bad once you cave isn’t the way to go about it, either.
When it comes to real, significant change in your health and physical appearance, you have to alter many decisions you make every day. You can’t put a time limit on it.”
- “Rethink your drink”—replace your usual non-water drinks with smaller portions, and use substitutes with less sugar and fat
- Learn to read nutrition labels, and get into the habit of looking at them often
- Increase your water intake to two to three liters a day
- Balance your calorie intake to be lower than the calories you burn
- Find the physical activity regimen that works for you, and make it part of your weekly routine
Stick to them long enough, and these changes will become your new normal!
There’s no quick fix, cheat sheet, or shortcut to get to your goal weight. And a 30-day diet doesn’t tell you what happens after 30 days. Make lifestyle changes that won’t limit your time or your progress.