Give me Five: The Simple Stages of Effective Weight Loss

People tend to try to lose weight at similar points in the year. Either the Christmas bulge leads you to make an unlikely New Year’s resolution, or the prospect of dieting for Lent makes you think ‘hmm, summer’s round the corner…’ However, the common dieting seasons may not work for you, or the popular fad diets for that matter, but with these five stages of weight loss, anyone can improve their wellness anytime, and get the figure they want.

Firstly, starting your diet on the 1^st of January may seem like a good idea, but are you strong enough to fight the allure of Christmas leftovers in the fridge? Beginning a diet should be done when you’re stocked up on healthy goodies, and you’ve got a realistic goal in mind. If you set yourself the challenge of losing one or two pounds a week, you could be one or two stone lighter in a few months time.

Next, when you choose your diet plan, make sure it is based on sound principles of health, balanced nutrition and eating at least 1200 calories a day. There are many Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCDs) and meal-replacement options out there, but you should only follow these if your doctor instructs you to do so. This tends to just be the case for people whose wellbeing is at an immediate risk of disease, and so for the best results, proper food in smaller portions is far more advisable.

Also, be wary of diet fads. Aside from VLCDs, every year the media is inundated with the ‘next big thing’ in dieting, but these will inevitably disappoint. Fad diet awareness requires a bit of common sense; if it looks crazy, chances are that it is crazy and will not work, no matter how many ‘testimonies’ and ‘evidence’ they throw at you. Weight loss is about making consistent, lifestyle changes, and not, I’m afraid, spending one week eating nothing but bananas.

The fourth thing to consider in starting weight loss is flexibility. Even if you set out with the best of intentions, a diet that requires you to produce meals to a Michelin-star standard is no good for you if you haven’t got the time or the energy to cook. Your weight loss plan should fit with who you are, the foods you like, and your overall lifestyle. Make sure you’re allowed the odd treat or day off, as no one can rigidly follow a plan day in, day out.

Finally, weight loss is best achieved when you don’t do it alone (and having someone else in it with you certainly makes it more fun!) Weekly clubs that involve weigh-ins can be great motivators, but if you don’t like the idea of that then why not see if a friend or family member will lose weight with you? That way, you’ll be accountable to one another and you’ll also have someone to complain about celery to.