|
|
Answer a few questions before choosing a weight loss programJan 03 '03 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line How much support does your weight loss program entail? How should I choose a weight loss program? Wow, that’s loaded question with a lot of Personal Trainers, Nutritionalist, Fitness Guru’s and the likes attempting to answer. The secret to successful dieting is picking what’s right for you. It’s important to remember that there are a lot of valid reasons why a person is overweight; it could be psychological, physical, or emotional challenges. Choosing a weight loss program is not easy but you’ve got to be realistic! Don’t get hooked on the TV Advertisements. Remember, anyone can buy an infomercial! My first recommendation is to ask yourself this questions: “How much weight do you really want to loose to be healthy?” If you are serious about dieting, your goal is to improve your overall health, not just your looks. It always amazes me how diet companies get those knock out pitch persons with the ultimate body. Sometimes these pitch persons promote these ultimate desirable Hollywood bodies that are almost impossible to obtain without starving yourself to death. In my opinion many diets set people up for failure! My recommendations as a Personal Trainer is don’t set your sights to high or too low. With any diet expect to lose approximately 7 to 10 percent of your starting weight within a year. Set realistic weekly miniature goals. They’re a lot easier to meet, than trying to get the body of a supermodel in one day. Stay away from the fad diets! You know the ones that recommend you eat only 1 food. After all, there’s a limit to how much of one particular food you can eat every day before you that one-food beings to make you nauseous. When choosing a weight loss program eat at least 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day. Losing weight to rapidly or cutting calories to quickly can put you at risk for some serious health problems. For example, it’s a well-known fact that any diets providing less than 1,000 calories per day can stall gallbladder function, increasing the likelihood of gallstone formation. Plus those starvation diets never work, if you are like me, you will eventually give in to your cravings and end up gaining back more weight than you initially lost. Now ask yourself, how much support does your weight loss program entail? Does your program include a dietitian, fitness trainer, spouse, friends, computer, a group, and Internet support or do you need to be left alone? Are you looking for what I call a “boot camp” diet where you are told what and when to eat? Are you ready to give up certain foods? How much money or you willing to spend on your diet? Do you have the money to purchase a variety of special dishes or supplements? Have you taken into account all of the environmental, genetic and cultural factors that’s causing you to be overweight? Answering these questions will save you a lot of heartache and headaches on choosing a weight loss program. One of my biggest beliefs is that you’ve got to, “Get motivated!” For me, dance music is one of my greatest outside motivators. Dance music helps me incorporate extra movement into my daily routines helping me stay physically active. Rather than hibernating on the couch, there are tons of activities that you can do indoors: working out at a local gym or purchasing your own stairclimber, treadmill or weight set; cycling on a stationary bike, or working out with exercise videos at home or simply go window shopping while mall walking. What ever you do, try and get some kind of brisk workout at least there times a week. Once you’ve gotten active, it’s time to find a diet plan that fits your lifestyle. For example, if you hate to cook, don’t attempt a diet that requires you to spend half the day in the kitchen slaving over the stove. Sure you may be able to follow it for a few weeks, but eventually you’ll get tired of cooking and head to the local burger joint. Bottom line; are you willing to make a lifestyle change? Understandably, there is a lot of trial and error when it comes to selecting the best diet. There is no harm in shopping around, but ultimately, and eventually, it’s going to boil down to developing your own diet and fitness plan that works for your lifestyle. One size definetly does not fit all when it comes to diets. Not only do we have different tastes, each of us has different preferences and body types. As a Personal Trainer, I’m dedicated to helping my client get what they want and need to be healthy. Regardless of which specific diet you choose, I recommend making a contract with yourself, make a written pledge and stick to it. Don’t be afraid to fail, use this review as that little extra push to get you started in the right direction.  |
| Read all comments (11)|Write your own comment |
