The desire to lose weight is not necessarily only felt by people who are overweight. In the past one year plus that I seriously started my weight loss journey, I have encountered a lot of people who want to lose weight for
i) Health/Medical reasons: These are people who have health concerns which require them to lose weight to stay alive.
ii) Cosmetic reasons: This is where people like me come in. These are people who want to lose weight to look good and fit into the type(s) of outfit(s) they desire to wear.
iii) Events/Occasions: These are people who want to lose weight for an event, occasion or a particular activity (weddings, reunions, job interview, etc).
iv) Fad addicts: These are people who will do anything they see others do, yea, trust me they exist. They will follow diets and exercises just because they see others doing it.
Whatever your reason for embarking on a diet, these are the top 5 things I think you should do and know before you begin.
TO KNOW:
1) THERE ARE NO SHORT-CUTS: Forget crash and fad diets, forget the pills, teas and potions, forget the "lose weight without exercise" ads, forget the "eat whatever you want and lose weight" ads... -THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS- So the earlier you wake up and smell the coffee by realising that, the better ready you are to begin your weight loss journey.
2)IT TAKES TIME, HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT: Weight loss is not something you do when you feel like it, or not do when you are not in the mood. It is a part of your life that demands, requires and needs commitment. It does not matter how much you want to down that big bowl of ice-cream, if your diet plan says eat broccoli, dude, that's what you're eating. Secondly, diet all you want, without workout, it won't be as quick and effective so you need to work out at least 30 minutes 3 times a week and if you like move into a gym and sleep on the treadmill, if you do not diet, you are just wasting valuable time. Weight loss is 75% Diet 25% Workout (Just so you know). We'll talk more about that as we talk about exercise and work out.
3) THERE WILL BE DISCOURAGEMENTS AND OBSTACLES: Friends, Family, Foes, Weather, Time and even You will work against you to discourage you. If you're fortunate, from time to time, you will have people tell you it won't work or it's not working or oh, they have tried it/know someone who tried it and that it's a waste of time but if you're less fortunate you will hear it all the time especially by people you trust the most. -DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM-. I was laughed at, mocked, jeered and talked about negatively when I started, but here now, most of my mockers are the ones who run to me for tips... *giggles* So, now you know who has the last laugh. And yes, the weather, hmmm... It will rain, snow, there might even be a blizzard but whatever happens as long as you are breathing, do some in door cardiovascular and other exercises.
4) ONLINE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND AND WORST ENEMY: Ah, amazing I would refer to On-Line as your worst enemy seeing that it is our meeting point...Yea? Well, I love online, it is an amazing tool where you can find loads of helpful resources to help you with weight loss, however, there are loads and loads and loads of wackos (can I call them that?) posting potentially harmful, unverified, false information about weight loss. Bad diet plans and bogus claims of how they worked magic on celebs. So be extremely careful of the information you get and use.
5) IT IS A CONTINUOUS LIFESTYLE CHANGE: The weight you lose does not stay off if you go back to your old lifestyle and eating habits. It comes back and when it does, it brings company -lol- So after you get to your required/target weight you MUST quit your weight loss plan and move on to your weight maintenance plan.
TO DO:
1) IDENTIFY YOUR WHY: It is important to identify why you want to lose weight as this will help you create a practical, achievable plan. No matter the reason, it's important you don't lose too much or too little weight particularly if you are losing weight for medical/health reasons.
2) SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE: Please note that THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL DIET PLAN... This is simply because body types, health needs and personal goals differ. Talk to your health care provider before you embark on your diet that way you do not go on a diet that is potentially harmful to you. Find out what you should or should not eat as this determines the diet plan you have tailored for you.
3) CREATE AN ACTION PLAN: Dieting is not something you dabble into and make the rules as you go, it is something you must think through and have a plan on how you hope to pull through it. Plan when you can start, how long it would take so you don't begin to think it's taking forever to complete.
4) CREATE A WINNING ENVIRONMENT: Create an environment that would encourage your decision. Rid your home and environment of things (food, drinks, sweets, snacks, etc) and people that will hamper your commitment. Surround yourself with positive people, healthy food, books and DVDs.
5) FIND OR CREATE A SUPPORT SYSTEM: No matter what venture you take on in life, you need a support system. Find a group of people who are interested in what you are doing. Join a local gym or a neighbourhood workout group, if for any reason you can't, just find an online support group (We'll have several on DIETCHIC as we go on). You can also find one person you trust who always supports and encourages you. Share your dream and vision with them and tell them how they can be a support and always turn to them when you get discouraged.
Now that we have it locked down. Let's put you in shape.
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#DIETCHIC!
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