What Does Effective Weight Loss Look Like?

When starting a diet, most of us tend to set ourselves up for failure right from the beginning.

Why? Because most of us dread going on a diet and therefore start sabotaging our efforts before we even get started.

It's human nature

When we think we are going to be deprived of our favorite foods, we stock up on them or overeat them in the days preceding the diet. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Proper dieting doesn't mean that you have to deprive yourself of the foods you love

Proper dieting means that you need to change your way of thinking about food. Food isn't the enemy. Even your favorite foods aren't the enemy. The enemy is your personal inability to balance the types of foods you put into your body. The problem is that the vast majority of us consume the wrong foods far more often than we eat the right foods. This is the where most diets fail.

Our bodies crave proper nutrients ~ the nutrients that can be had by consuming five servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit daily. If we don't give our bodies these nutrients, our bodies feel deprived and are therefore hungry. Numerous studies have shown that if we were actually consuming the proper balance of fruits and veggies daily we would find that we were far less likely to feel hungry and crave those foods that aren't as healthy. This means we would be much more likely to enjoy our favorite foods in moderation as they should be enjoyed.

Moderation means portion control

In today's food industry "up selling" has become the norm. In fact, your server has been trained to sell you more than you order and certainly more than your body needs ~ all in the name of profit. It may only cost an extra dollar or so to a get a larger size or some extra food, but in the end your body, and ultimately your health, will pay the price. You must learn to say no to these temptations.

Don't think of it as depriving yourself. Think of it as building a healthier and slimmer you. If you think dieting is all about depriving your body, perhaps you should turn your thinking around.

Think of your weight loss plan as a positive force in your life so that you can make changes for the better. If you ever have thoughts where you think you are depriving yourself, remind yourself that you are depriving...

    your bones of carrying around that excess weight
    your wardrobe of those bulky clothes that are designed to hide your love handles
    your body of years of bulges and bringing back the body of your youth

Moderation is the key to a successful diet

Be sure to enjoy some of the good things that life has to offer ~ including great food. Watching your weight and counting your calories does not mean that you can never have fun and enjoy your favorite foods. The goal is to find balance.

If you learn to portion your food correctly, practice moderation, and take part in calorie-burning activities on a daily basis, no doubt you will see great results.

Are you confused about what is the best diet plan for you? We can help! Join us at http://www.TheFUNDietPlan.com where we share our passions for nutritious eating, a wonderful lifestyle and healthy entertaining.

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Good health and effective weight loss go together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You can't have one without the other. The internet is full of pages and pages of effective plans, procedures, exercises, diets etc., but what does effective weight loss actually look like? The simple answer is that the weight comes off and stays off, but there is more to it than that. There is the question of how do you get that weight to come off and stay off? Below I have compiled a short list of my favorite tips on effective weight loss. I encourage you to read them and digest them carefully. Examine your own life and how you relate to each one. Ask yourself some tough questions about each one.

1. Relax, Reduce your stress. A main cause of weight gain is stress. We have a lot of stress in our lives that often times we don't manage well.. This causes an increase in cortisol levels (a hormone) that triggers our appetite and signals our body to store fat. One of the best ways to combat this hormone and its effects is through stress reducing activities. These activities can include but are not limited to exercise/yoga/mediation/prayer or whatever method works for you to reduce your stress level. Other activities could be reading a book or listening to some relaxing music.

2. Drink water, lots of it. Study after study has shown that water is critical to effective weight loss. Water benefits your body in many ways. In regards to weight loss, drinking 2-8 oz glasses of water before a meal has shown to reduce appetite (most likely because there is less room in your stomach!). Water helps to flush out toxins from your body including excess sodium (which leads to bloating and feeling fat). Water also helps with metabolism which is critical to burning fat.

3. Increase your fiber intake. Typically foods that are high in fiber have lower caloric value-less calories. This is great because you are trying to lose weight not gain it. Many vegetables and fruits fall into this category so it is important to increase your intake of these types of foods. Fiber also helps you to feel fuller faster which in turn helps to reduce the quantity of food you eat. Fiber is a valuable component to effective weight loss. Another added benefit is that high fiber foods generally require more chewing which in turn slows down your eating habits.

4. Move it and lose it! Effective weight loss is more effective is you are physically active. One of the easiest ways to get active is to walk. Walking for as little as twenty minutes a day can help you burn extra calories and combat stress. Effective weight loss occurs when your calories burned is greater than your calories consumed. If you are unable to walk, take up a different exercise such as swimming or riding a bike. Any kind of exercise is better than just sitting around like a couch potato! These are some simple tips to effective weight loss.Remember, you are in the driver's seat when it comes to effective weight loss. You have to take steps in order to lose the weight, unfortunately we spend too much time thinking about it or talking about it, but never actually doing anything about it.

Are you ready to be proactive about your health?

Read more here at http://www.jumpstartyourchallenge.com

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