Dieting Tips For Dummies

Don’t Starve Yourself

People often decide that eating less is the way to lose weight, and choose to skip meals. It is partly true that you will lose weight by eating less, but starving yourself or skipping meals is not a good idea. If you do this, your body puts itself into starvation mode, where it stores all consumed calories. The result is low blood sugar, which makes you feel tired, and a deep down feeling of sickness which means the body is lacking food to the point where it’s preparing to shut down. What happens is your metabolism slows down, and you end up not losing any weight at all.

Your parents might have rewarded you when you were small by giving you a treat, such as a cookie. Think back also to special occasions, when lots of good food was eaten. All of this type of food consumption when we’re small leaves us with the notion that food is part of feeling good. When we get older we then tend to treat ourselves when we feel in need of an emotional boost, by means of food. Think back to when, for example, you’ve had a horrid day at the office, and ended up overeating in the evening. What you really need to do is to recognize those feelings of needing a treat, and find another method of rewarding yourself. Don’t go to the store for ice cream, but go for a nice walk in the fresh open air instead. This will help you to feel good once more, and you won’t have to feel the guilt.

Avoid Fads

Fads are all around. We see ads everywhere that promise using this expensive piece of exercise equipment, or drinking this type of shake, or taking certain pills, will cause the weight to drop off. You should not believe them. The reason that there are so many of these products on the market is that they just don’t work for most people. Instead, spend your money and your time on buying and consuming healthy food and partaking in a realistic, sensible exercise program. If you need inspiration, join a support group or seek medical advice.

Don’t Eat out of Boredom

When you are feeling bored, or doing something mindless such as watching a movie or television, don’t reach automatically for the buttered popcorn or the ice cream. You should also avoid at all costs eating your dinner whilst you watch TV. That’s because you get into the habit of mindless eating this way. That makes you put on weight, and eventually you’re too big even to get up and do anything about the problem. That’s a vicious cycle you really don’t need, so don’t get into it in the first place. If you’re already in the cycle, then you have to break it.