Anyone who loses a few pounds by dieting seem to gain them all
back (and more) after they go back to their eating habits, no matter how
long they sustained the diet. Naturally, they'd like to know exactly
how long it takes for a diet's effects to stick for good.
If you're asking how long you should diet, then there's good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that there is no diet duration. Going into a diet isn't temporary. Dieting involves a change in lifestyle, and by that, it's meant to last your entire life. How long do you need to stick to your diet? As long as you'd like to stick to your ideal weight!
But there's good news, too. Staying with a diet can be easy. The main reason why so many dieters fail at their diets after only a while is because they go through all the drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Believe me, no one's that strong. Instead, try to break into your diet slowly and steadily. Here are some tips to help you stick to your diet much more easily.
Start small, but don't stop growing.
Start your diet with a very doable sacrifice. A good way to start would be to swear off all forms of soda in favor of water, natural fruit juice, or low-fat milk for the first few weeks. (Did you know that a typical can of soda contains about ten teaspoons of sugar?) Sticking to your diet will be much easier when you're in charge of it, instead of having to follow every single "diet rule." Once you get used to one sacrifice, impose another manageable limit. Then another. And another. Lifestyle changes are much easier to deal with if they come in chunks!
Exercise - it really does work.
Dieting is fine on its own, but if you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to put in at least an hour of exercise five days a week. Exercise will also keep those pounds from rushing back if for some reason you reverted to your old eating habits. Naturally, going to the gym is the best way to stay fit - incorporate cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and flexibility routines into your workout. Choose something that you find fun - dancing, kickboxing, Yoga, whatever - so that sticking to your diet will be even easier.
Don't be so hard on yourself.
Remember that any kind of food, no matter how fattening or "sinful" it is, can fit into a diet as long as it's taken infrequently. Make sure you balance out your intake with more healthy food.
Also remember that no one can stick to a diet flawlessly - there's bound to be the occasional temptation. You may miss a workout on a busy schedule. You may need to drink to toast a friend's wedding. Whatever the setback, it's never the end of the world. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and not trying again, get up and get back on track as quickly as you can. If all goes well, your weight will continue dropping as though nothing happened at all!
If you're asking how long you should diet, then there's good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that there is no diet duration. Going into a diet isn't temporary. Dieting involves a change in lifestyle, and by that, it's meant to last your entire life. How long do you need to stick to your diet? As long as you'd like to stick to your ideal weight!
But there's good news, too. Staying with a diet can be easy. The main reason why so many dieters fail at their diets after only a while is because they go through all the drastic lifestyle changes all at once. Believe me, no one's that strong. Instead, try to break into your diet slowly and steadily. Here are some tips to help you stick to your diet much more easily.
Start small, but don't stop growing.
Start your diet with a very doable sacrifice. A good way to start would be to swear off all forms of soda in favor of water, natural fruit juice, or low-fat milk for the first few weeks. (Did you know that a typical can of soda contains about ten teaspoons of sugar?) Sticking to your diet will be much easier when you're in charge of it, instead of having to follow every single "diet rule." Once you get used to one sacrifice, impose another manageable limit. Then another. And another. Lifestyle changes are much easier to deal with if they come in chunks!
Exercise - it really does work.
Dieting is fine on its own, but if you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to put in at least an hour of exercise five days a week. Exercise will also keep those pounds from rushing back if for some reason you reverted to your old eating habits. Naturally, going to the gym is the best way to stay fit - incorporate cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and flexibility routines into your workout. Choose something that you find fun - dancing, kickboxing, Yoga, whatever - so that sticking to your diet will be even easier.
Don't be so hard on yourself.
Remember that any kind of food, no matter how fattening or "sinful" it is, can fit into a diet as long as it's taken infrequently. Make sure you balance out your intake with more healthy food.
Also remember that no one can stick to a diet flawlessly - there's bound to be the occasional temptation. You may miss a workout on a busy schedule. You may need to drink to toast a friend's wedding. Whatever the setback, it's never the end of the world. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and not trying again, get up and get back on track as quickly as you can. If all goes well, your weight will continue dropping as though nothing happened at all!
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