It may feel like every day brings a new weight loss regimen, with the constant stream of diet and exercise routines. I’m confused concerning how to pick. Researchers have figured out what weight reduction regimens work, so you can finally lose weight (and keep it off) for good. Finding a program that incorporates these 7 elements will increase your odds of success.
1. Expectations for a Sensible Weight Loss
Stay away from diets that promise you’ll lose weight quickly. The normal motto is “Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days!” and “Get Slim by Saturday!” allude to rapidly abstain from food and work-out schedules that guarantee critical weight reduction. Instead, try to find plans that encourage weight loss of roughly one pound per week. Even while people frequently lose more weight during the first week or two of a new weight reduction program, this rate is often unsustainable over the long term. Expecting to keep losing weight at that rate can lead to disappointment and eventual failure.
2. A Diet Tailored to Your Preferences
Diets have been roughly equivalent in their ability to induce weight loss when compared head-to-head. Choosing a program with a diet, you can stick to is paramount. In general, do you enjoy eating vegetables? Vegetarianism could be the answer if this is the case. Can you go without food for extended periods without becoming angry? If that’s the case, you could attempt intermittent fasting. Long-term dietary modifications should be the focus of the program. You must take pleasure in the food you consume. None of us would enjoy feeling starved, not even for temporary periods.
3. Maintaining Your Favorite Foods
It’s essential to pick a diet that works for you as a whole, but it’s also crucial to ensure there’s room in the plan for your preferred foods. It’s possible that trying to give up your nightly bowl of ice cream will cause you to give up on your weight loss goals altogether. Instead, try cutting back on how often you indulge, reducing the size of your servings (to, say, half a cup), topping your bowl with fruit and a little dollop of ice cream, or switching to a lower-calorie option (like frozen yogurt).
4. Make an Effort to Alter Your Food and Exercise Habits
It’s a common belief that people may shed pounds simply by being more active. Dietary modifications, however, are the primary impetus for weight loss and a good timeline such as creating a keto weight loss timeline. So the question arises, “Why exercise?” Maintaining a healthy weight is greatly aided by regular exercise. In other words, keeping active after losing weight can help you keep it off. With this in mind, pick a plan that has you diving headfirst into a healthy diet and regular exercise right away when your motivation is at its highest.
5. Monitoring Your Weight Progress
Any program worth it’s salt should record your progress toward your goals. Compare keeping tabs on your weight to keeping tabs on your bank account. Knowing the total can be unpleasant at times, but it’s necessary for making changes to your calorie “spending” and exercise “banking.” Keeping track of your weight loss efforts on a smartphone app or a scrap of paper can reveal which methods are helping you and which are not.
6. Tracking Your Diet
A decent program will need you to keep a food and fluid diary in addition to a weight log. The calories in that coffee, the mayonnaise in that sandwich, or the chocolates you stole from your coworker’s desk are easy to lose track of. Keeping a food journal might help you discover the most accessible places to cut calories. Instead of using paper and pencil to keep score, you can use an app or website. They may learn what you eat regularly, scan the barcodes on your packaged goods, and import recipes.
7. Long-Term Accountability and Support
Finally, it’s vital that the program you enroll in offers the necessary level of guidance and monitoring. The high level of accountability and support provided by in-person and phone-based programs frequently results in more significant weight loss than online programs. On the other hand, people who have difficult or irregular schedules may benefit from web-based and smartphone programs (mainly if they include a method to provide responsibility and support!). It has been established that having long-term accountability and support from your program will help you keep the progress you’ve made.
There may not be a “perfect” diet plan, but you should look for one that works well with your lifestyle and gives you the support you need to stay going even if you fall up occasionally. If you use the seven criteria we’ve outlined above, you’ll be able to see through the hype and choose a weight loss program that has a good shot at helping you keep the weight off for good.
