How to Choose a Weight Loss Program

We live in a society that is increasingly obese and unhealthy. Combined with our stressful lifestyles this can cause us to have all sorts of health problems such as heart disease, cancer to name a few. Most of us want to be healthy and the appropriate weight, but finding the right weight loss program can be difficult because there are so many to choose from. Choosing a weight loss program should not be a matter of closing our eyes and picking one from a list, or purchasing the latest diet book that will finally tell us the secret key to losing those extra pounds. Instead here is a plan for choosing a weight loss program that will actually help you to lose the extra weight.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Notebook
• Writing implement
• Time

1. Use your notebook to keep track of what you eat for a week. Write down every speck of food that you put into your mouth. This will give you an idea of what your current diet is. Truthfully, most people don’t realize just what they are putting in their mouths.
2. In the same notebook, keep track of any exercise you get. This includes walking, biking, anything that you do that requires you to be active. Understanding this and what you are eating will allow you to keep those good habits that you already have.
3. Begin looking at the weight loss plans that are available. Personally, I hate the word "diet" and so I’m refusing to use it here, although you will probably find most plans under that particular word.
4. Choose at least two weight loss programs that look promising. Read whatever material is available on them and then make a list of pros and cons. For example, a con for me would be having to buy specialized pre-packaged food, because once you stop eating that food you will most likely gain all the weight back.
5. Choose the weight loss plan that you think you have the best chance of sticking to and try it for a month or two. After a month or two see what the results are and then make a decision as to whether or not you want to keep at it, or if you want to try another plan.
6. Keep trying weight loss plans until you find one that works best for you, has what you like to eat, and fits your lifestyle.

Tips & Warnings

• Only choose a plan that includes healthy foods from the different food groups and some kind of exercise plan. A diet by itself is not enough to get healthy, you need the two in conjunction.
• Choose a plan that you know you can stick to and that doesn’t have a lot of flaky rules, such as measuring every bite you eat, or counting the calories in every piece of food you put in your mouth. Chances are you won’t be able to keep to such a regime.
• Do not choose a weight loss program that includes taking a drug or herbal supplement. The problem with these programs is, once you lose the weight and stop taking the pills, you will most likely gain the weight back.
• Do not choose a weight loss program that tells you to cut out certain foods from the different food groups. For example, the Adkins diet suggests you cut out most carbohydrates and increase your protein intake, however, our bodies are not made to process a high protein diet. I knew one lady who was hospitalized because her body could not digest all the protein she was eating. It just sat in her digestive tract causing her to have cramps and other digestive problems.