Healthy Weight Loss Programs: What To Look For
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Healthy weight loss programs enable you not only to lose weight, but to avoid putting your short term and long term health at risk as well. Surprising as it might seem, the creators of many weight loss plans don't seem to care about the health of their customers, and focus only on short term weight loss.
If you're desperate to lose weight, it can be tempting to try any diet that claims to help you lose the weight quickly, but this isn't a good idea, particularly if you want to actually keep the weight off and avoid the yoyo cycle. For permanent, healthy weight loss, look for a program that meets the following criteria:
It should help you lose weight at a sustainable pace
Although it's common to lose rapidly in the first week or so, this is mostly water weight. For safe ongoing weight loss, most people shouldn't lose more than about 2lb a week (although very obese people might lose more rapidly to begin with). Avoid any plan that promises that you'll lose a lot of weight quickly, and will keep losing at that rate.
It should be based on healthy foods
Many diet plans rely on frozen ready meals or meal replacement drinks and other products. These are often highly processed and additive-filled, and are not generally a good idea for long term use (they also tend to be expensive!). These diets can help you to lose weight, but if you want to keep if off permanently, you'll need to learn to eat real foods in appropriate quantities. Natural, unprocessed fruits vegetables, whole grains and other foods are usually more nutrient-rich also, and healthy weight loss programs will include these.
It should avoid the use of diet pills
Diet pills are often used by those looking for a quick fix, and sometimes they provide it, but the weight rarely stays off, and they may also have negative health effects over the long term. They also don't help the overweight to retrain their eating habits. For healthy weight loss, give these a miss.
It should be well balanced
Any diet that eliminates or severely restricts the use of any major food group or macronutrient (e.g. low carb or low fat diets) is not healthy in the long term. Although the ideal macronutrient balance varies between individuals, most people don't thrive when any one type is cut drastically, so healthy weight loss programs will include adequate amounts of fats, carbs and proteins alike.
It should include some exercise
It's certainly possible to lose weight without exercising, but for optimal health, a moderate amount of exercise is necessary. This help to keep your metabolic rate up, and to avoid the loss of lean muscle tissue, which can happen when people crash diet or lose weight too quickly. It also lifts your mood, making you less likely to comfort eat, and is important for long term health.
It should include enough food
Crash dieting is always a bad idea - you will lose weight quickly, but most of it will be water and possibly lean muscle tissue rather than fat. If you're feeling hungry and deprived, it will be almost impossible to sustain, and you'll end up regaining the weight. You'll also be miserable and low in energy. Feeling bad simply isn't necessary with a healthy weight loss program, so don't tolerate any plan that leaves you feeling like this.
It should make realistic promises
Healthy weight loss programs are just that - healthy. They're not based on junk food or binge eating, and any plan that claims that you can eat 'anything' in any amount is not a healthy one. While a good program will allow room for treats, eating out etc, the fact is, if you're overweight as a result of eating the wrong foods, or chronic overeating, those behaviours will need to change. You simply can't continue to eat as you always have done and get different results.
It shouldn't revolve around 'magic' foods or ingredients
There aren't any miracle foods that can make you lose weight while you continue to overeat. While it's true that some foods and drinks, such as green tea, appear to give a boost to the metabolism, they should be used as part of a generally healthy diet. Avoid any plan that depends heavily on the 'fat burning' effects of any one food, drink, herb or other substance.
While there are many useless or dangerous fad diets on the market, there are some healthy weight loss programs that meet these criteria. Just don't be seduced by promises of quick weight loss with no effort at all on your part, and you're less likely to fall prey to the scams. A sensible, healthy plan like Strip That Fat can help you to lose weight at a steady, sustainable rate, and can also be enjoyable once you've got into the habit of eating well - and it really doesn't take that long.
Feel free to browse this site, which contains factual reports about a number of popular healthy weight loss programs (and also highlights those which aren't so healthy too).
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