There are a lot of fad diets out there that will promise you the world, and this makes it oh-so-easy to lose track of the simple rules we all know we need to follow to really lose weight and get healthy. Simple biology and your metabolism is all you need to understand. Some of the following tricks and tactics may even familiar because they have been picked up by gimmicky fad diets, but rest assured they work.
Tips and Tactics
1. Drink Water – It may sound simplistic, but you have to drink lots of water – especially if you are exercising more than you used to. Water flushes salts from your body (which may lead to bloating), it increases cellular metabolism and staves off dehydration, which may be brought on by exercise. Drink water before and after exercise. You may even opt for a sports drink after exercise; one with
carbs and electrolytes will stave off fatigue and muscle ache.
2. Activity Level vs. Calorie Intake – We all know you need to exercise, but do you understand why? It’s very simple; when you are not active, you burn fewer calories. So when you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight. So the goal to keeping off the weight via exercise and dieting is to take in fewer calories and burn more.
3. Timing – It’s all in the timing, as the saying goes, and this applies to weight loss as well. Time when you eat your meals consistently. Instead of two or three big meals, try eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day. This keeps your base metabolic rate up and it runs more efficiently. Overall, this method has been shown to burn 100-200 more calories per day than the typical breakfast, lunch, and dinner model.
What Kind of Diet?
The aforementioned tips will take you a long way, but what kind of diet is best for you? The best diet for you is largely based on your gender, lifestyle, motivation, and activity level. That being said, there are some basic qualities to look for in a diet that can help you figure out if it’s for you.
The best diet for you will combine the right amount of exercise with a proper diet and some social support to help you stay motivated. Another good quality indicator for diets is the amount of commercialization used to market it. If all you see is ads and outrageous costs when you look into the diet, it may be best to move on to the next.
Look for a diet that promotes whole-body health and education, rather than fads and outrageous promises. A diet that empowers you to make good nutritional decisions for yourself is one that will have long-term staying power.
How Do You Find the Right Diet?
All you have to do is look online and talk to people to find the right diet. Read some Atkins diet plan articles to see if the diet fits your lifestyle. Whichever path you take, always remember that you're losing weight and getting healthy for all the right reasons. You just need to find the right diet to take with you on your journey.
There are so many companies advertising their brands - Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, Slim Fast, Weight loss centers, etc. and fitness gurus promoting their favorite fitness CD or equipment, but for most people, it is a simple matter of “less food in the mouth” and “more activity”. You can do it with simple diet changes each week and just getting out and going for a 45 minute walk everyday.
About the Author
Melissa Cameron is a married homemaker with two wonderful children. She enjoys spending time with her family, digital photography, and loves learning about new things. Her current passion is getting back into shape, losing a little weight, and improving the eating habits of her husband and kids at the same time. She used her copy of the Atkins diet plan to help her find great recipes along the way.
