Diet Information

Before You Start Dieting

June 17, 2009
By J White

As you start dieting to lose weight, you would no doubt like for the process to be quick, without sacrifice, and done with as little effort as possible. However, the weight that may have taken you years to put on will not be lost in a day. Furthermore, expecting to continue to behave in the same fashion while imagining a different outcome is like sticking your hand in the fire expecting this time it won’t burn.

So to counter this “little effort”, “little sacrifice” way of thinking and to increase your chances of success, you need to develop a more realistic view of dieting. You can do this by better knowing what to expect, thus avoiding any surprises along the way. And by the way, it is these surprises that make it difficult to stay on your diet.

Things to be Aware of Before You Start Dieting

Losing Weight is not a Quick Fix

No matter how many times you look in the mirror during the day, it is not going to speed up the weight loss process. To change this quick fix mentality, say to yourself, “It’s going to take me a month to lose the weight I want to lose.” If it’s going to take 2, 3, 4, or more months, then say that instead.

Remember, you don’t expect a season to be over with in a day. In the same line of thinking, you should not expect your total weight loss to occur overnight.

Starving to Lose Weight

You would think that the less that you eat, the faster you would lose weight. Sorry, but starving yourself is not going to help you lose weight quicker.

What starving yourself does do is set you up to eventually binge. And even if you can hold off bingeing, you are still slowing down your metabolism, which is conditioning your body to store more fat as oppose to burning it.

Instead think to eat three meals and three snacks. This eating behavior will help to keep you satisfied longer, curbing the desire to binge.

Emotional Eating Keeps On the Weight

Let’s face it. For many of you, eating is more about reacting to emotion than it is about responding to hunger. This type of behavior was innocently learned as you were growing up.

For instance, when you were sad or depressed, you may have been given sweets to cheer you up. When you cleaned your plate, you got dessert. When you won a prize, you ate to celebrate. All of these instances are associated with your emotions.

To stop emotional eating, you need to become aware or conscious of why you are eating. Before you take a bite, ask yourself if it is out of need or desire. If it is desire, then look to fulfill that desire another way.

Resistance Training is a Necessary Part of Dieting

Resistance training as well as aerobic training is necessary to more effectively lose weight. Avoiding it will make it harder to keep the weight you lost off.

The reason for this is simple. Resistance training builds muscle. And when you have more muscle, you burn more calories, which helps to keep excess calories from turning into fat. So expect to develop and participate in a resistance training program.

Thoughts Assists with Weight Loss

Buddha said, “We are what we think. All that we are, arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” That being said, you can expect that constantly thinking about what you can’t eat or what you are giving up in order to lose the weight, will not give rise to feelings that assist you in reaching your goal.

To better cope with this, make a list of what you will be gaining. When you catch yourself thinking about what you are giving up, use this list as a reminder of the rewards you will be obtaining.

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