You've finally had it. Those long, often embarrassing hours, shopping for pants that fit your 40-inch waistline, the constant huffing and puffing to fit into any seat, the daily requirement of taking your blood pressure medication, and worst of all, the loss of libido (not that anyone got interested ever since the weight began to show) for something that you knew was once enjoyable.
You are going on a diet. No if's, no and's, no but's -- you are going to make sure that you will do all you can to be able to bend and touch your toes again. It's either do or die.
And it's a good thing that you have psychologically prepared yourself for the tough road ahead. If you want to go on a diet, and stick with it until you see results, mental conditioning is that crucial first step. As the saying goes: "What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve." If you can picture in your head a slimmer, healthier you, then you are already on your way towards making that happen.
But be warned: The path is filled with numerous stones and ditches that can make you stumble and fall. And while there are no guarantees that you won't experience minor setbacks along the way, here are some dieting tips that will help lessen the chances of that happening:
1. Drink lots of water. Make sure that you drink up after every meal so you keep hydrated and keep your metabolism running. Those who consume less than 8 glasses of water a day have slower metabolism which translates to a poor fat burn. Also, when your body tells you that it is hungry, reach for water first. Sometimes, thirst is misread for hunger, and a glass of water is really all your body is asking for.
2. Don't go for crash diets. Your friends tell you that they've lost 8 pounds by eating nothing but an orange and a bowl of soup everyday. This is a classic example of crash dieting and while it is true that these short-term weight loss diets do indeed drop the pounds, it slows down your metabolism to such a point that as soon as you ditch this diet, you end up gaining more weight rapidly than ever before.
3. Don't skip breakfast. How else can this be made clear except repeat what has been said long before the Internet: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not only does this supply you with the necessary nutrients to start your day, it also keeps your metabolism running so you burn fat easily. Not eating in the morning puts your body in starvation mode, causing you to snack in high-sugar, high-fat, empty-calorie foods all through the day.
4. Skip the midnight refrigerator raids. Get this: You burn most fat nine hours after you've had dinner, when your body has already used up the calories from the previous meal, those in your liver as well as the fats circulating in your system. By this time, it has started to dip into your stored body fats. This is when the most fat-burning occurs, and you don't even have to do anything except sleep! If you eat midnight snacks, you disrupt your body's normal pattern and do not allow it to dip into the glycogen stores, thus you haven't take advantage of your body's natural fat-burning time.
Last but not least, be sure to check out this Shakeology review, it is the preferred meal replacement shake for weight loss. Also, don't forget to read this article called "does Shakeology taste good".
Kylie is a full-time mother of 3 and a freelance writer for ShakeNutrition.com.