Choosing A Diet Program
There are tons of diet plans to choose from. Celebrities push various diets and pills: it’s difficult to decide on a diet that will work for you and keep you healthy. So, when looking for a diet, think about the following things.
Lifestyle – Are you sedentary or active? Do you participate in exercise whether you’re watching your weight or not?
Family History – Family history can play a big part in your overall picture. It’s important to maintain a weight that’s healthy if heart disease, blood pressure issues, diabetes or any weight problems run in your family.
Personal History – If you’re a yo-yo dieter, you should be careful of your health. Some experts say that you should keep BMI (body mass index) at an even level – no dramatic increases throughout your life as this can increase the chances of heart disease, diabetes or worse.
Weight Distribution – The experts now say that weight around your middle is a sign of future health problems like heart disease. It’s recommended that a man should have a waist measure of no more than 40 inches, and a woman should have no more of 35 inches because of the health risks involved.
You need to take into account your BMI (or Body Mass Index). If your numbers show between 25 – 34.9, you’re considered obese. If so, it’s important that you lose some weight and maintain your weight.
Testing – Have you been to the doctor recently? How are your blood pressure and cholesterol levels? Are they high?
How do you feel overall – If you experience shortness of breath, joint pain, have difficulty sleeping and you’re overweight, these are probably signs that you need to lose weight. Quality of life and health are suffering.
What Are Your Goals For Weight Loss?
How much weight do you need or want to lose? If you are very obese or overweight, it might be wise for you to consider a structured diet program that includes a dietician, or at the very least, group support or a guidance counselor. Losing a large amount of weight is challenging and you can use all of the support you can get your hands on.
If you’re fairly overweight, find a plan that will educate you and help you learn to make lifestyle changes like your food choice and portion control.
Any weight loss goal will only benefit from a fitness program. A fitness program will help with weight loss and weight loss maintenance.
Know Your Weight Loss Personality
Are you an impulsive eater who is tempted by food at the drop of a hat? Do you call an order a pizza every time you see a commercial for Dominos? When you see a bag of potato chips or chocolate candy do you buy it even though you don’t need it?
Some of us eat without paying much attention to when they’re eating or what they’re eating. Eating at night can be one of the most difficult things to overcome if you consider it an issue. A social eater will eat when out with friends, and if you are social, you can pack on the pounds. An emotional eater will use any excuse to eat: if they are feeling out of control, stressed or upset – or even if they’re happy!
Knowing your weight loss personality is important. This is so you can establish what challenges you face and can choose a weight loss program that will address your specific issues .
What Is Your Dieting Mindset?
Successful weight loss includes understanding how much weight you want to lose and why. So when researching diet programs consider these questions:
These are important questions to ask yourself. While you may want to lose weight, if you are not in the correct mindset, you are likely to fail.
Safety First
Make sure you discuss any diet or weight loss program you are considering with your doctor. Safety is important when dieting – there are a lot of fad diets out there that promise the world but simply aren’t effective for the long term. Any diet you are considering should allow for proper nutrition.
If a weight loss program tells you you’ll lose weight fast, it’s best to steer clear of it, they’re dangerous and could potentially cause long term damage. Weight loss should be slow – one or two pounds a week is great (even if you don’t think so.) Chances are, the first few weeks of a diet you’ll lose some weight quickly as you lose water.
When you’re looking into a diet program, don’t forget to request a statement of the costs and fees involved for any additional products you may need. There’s nothing worse than paying a monthly fee, and then finding out about extra charges sometime down the road.