The first thing to do when starting any diet is to figure out what you're trying to achieve, and set goals around where you want to be. Do you want to diet to lose weight? Do you want to diet to improve your health? The goals you make will determine how you should approach your diet, but more than that, setting the goals gives you something to work towards a specific goal - it's easier to achieve something when you commit yourself to a specific goal.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that your goal should be reasonable - losing weight too quickly or losing it the wrong way can lead to either health risks, or can set you up to gain it back more easily. The most successful diets are the ones that allow you to pace yourself. Losing 1-2 pounds/week is more than enough, it took a long time to put on the weight, be patient taking it off if you want to remain healthy, and be successful.
Before you set specific weight goals, it's important to determine the ideal body weight range for your height - this can help you to get an objective idea where you should set your goals. BMI (Body Mass Index) chart that can help you determine your ideal body weight.
When you meet a short term goal, such as losing five pounds, you will feel accomplished. You will be empowered by the knowledge that you are capable of accomplishing your short term goals, and therefore you will be just as capable of accomplishing your long term weight loss goal. After all, your long term goal will be met if you can continue meeting your short term ones. If you only have your ultimate goal in mind, you might start to get restless and impatient, and you might wind up giving up before you have made any real progress. You can also have goals that are even smaller, such as daily goals.
Your daily goal can be to eat well and exercise for at least forty-five minutes. If you have a hard time sticking to a diet, then starting out by setting miniature goals can help to give you the boost that you need to succeed. Once you have been dieting for a few months, you might decide that you are ready to extend your daily goals to weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly goals instead.
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