So the key to achieving the weight loss you desire is to set realistic goals at the start. It’s too easy to get hung up on the overall weight loss when the only strategy that properly works is eating less and moving more. Don’t get suckered into fads or crash diets that promise instantaneous loss with little effort and no pain – they really do not work.
A realistic goal is a weight loss of 1-2lbs per week. That loss is not only sustainable but is more likely to stay off than any sudden drop because you’ve starved yourself for a month – that weight is likely to go straight back on as soon as you start eating normally again.
So, say you want to lose a total of three stones. Instead of having that figure in your head, looming over every food decision, why not set an initial goal of shedding 7lbs? And when you’ve lost that half a stone, set a new goal of losing another half a stone and so on until you’ve achieved your original desire of losing three stones in total.
Here’s another realistic goal – change your diet and exercise habits. This is for the longer term and one that will hopefully pay off with better health. Bin the unhealthy food, such as ready meals and processed products, and include more fresh fruit and vegetables in your daily diet. Set yourself a goal of doing half an hour of strenuous activity, the sort of cardio that gets your heart rate up, three times a week. It doesn’t have to be in the gym, you don’t have to join a class.
Go swimming, power walk or cycle – all are simple but effective ways to get fit. And saying that you’ll walk or swim is a much more realistic promise to yourself than vowing to the gym five times a week.