subject: Why Diets Don't Work And Tips To Help You [print this page] Diets don't work! About a third of American's are over weight and many have tried different types of diets which many have not succeeded.
The main reason dieting doesn't work is because when you dramatically stop eating as much as your body is used to, your body feels like it might be going into starvation so your metabolism slows down and you body stores more fat.
Also, each time you diet and repeat the process your body will gain the fat back faster and the amount of fat added will increase each time you diet. This can be a vicious cycle and your brain sabotages your own efforts with psychological control making it nearly impossible to resist food cravings.
Losing weight and keeping it off is a life style change, you must stay persistent, eat healthy, and exercise regularly doing aerobic workouts. Most people that diet and lose weight will gain 30-60% of it back in the first year and most of it the next 5 years. So just dieting alone is not enough, do regular aerobic exercises you enjoy like biking, walking, running, climbing stairs, sports, racket ball.
Here are some tips to help you make a healthy eating plan:
1. Don't think so much about your weight and hunger. Over thinking about your cravings for food and your weight will only keep you overweight because you are only thinking about food all the time and eating.
2. Eat 20% of your total daily calories from fat, 60% carbohydrates, and 20% protein sources. If you need to lose more weight, increase proteins to 40% and decrease carbohydrates to 40%.
3. Reduce saturated fats in your diet - Saturated foods are mostly processed foods like snacks, potato chips, ice cream and red meat. Eat a apple or choice of fruit or vegetables to satisfy your hunger instead.
4. Lower intake of sugars - It's much better for you to eat complex-carbohydrates like rice, multi-grain breads, potatoes, vegetables, pasta, and fruits to help you feel full and give you good energy throughout your day.
5. Don't miss meals - Skipping meals and not eating at regular times is a guaranteed way to gain more fat because your body thinks it's going into starvation and stores more fat on your body.
6. Eat more than 1200 calories per day. When you eat too little, your body will first break-down muscle tissue to use it for energy before it uses fat, so after dieting you will have less muscle and your body fat percentage will be higher.
7. Exercise regularly. If you don't exercise on a regular basis it will be impossible to keep the weight off. Aerobic exercises 3 times a week for an hour will help you achieve your goals.
Example of aerobic exercises are when you are using primary muscle groups for an extended period of time, like walking, biking, hiking, dancing, sports, and running. Also adding resistance training twice a week will help increase your fat lose and speed up your metabolism. Good Luck!
