A fatal mistake that a lot of people make when trying to lose weight is they try to do so in an unhealthy fashion. Believe it or not, there are unhealthy ways to lose weight. While you may succeed in dropping a few pounds, there is also a chance that your health is going to suffer dramatically. However, there are ways to set up healthy goals for losing weight.
Set Realistic Goals
Having realistic expectations is the first step to ensuring that you have a healthy weight loss goal. Too many people get up on Monday and exclaim, “I’m going to lose 50 pounds this week!” It’s great to think big, but you also have to be realistic. People that do this are just setting themselves up for failure before they even begin. Instead, make a more modest goal. Or instead of making such a concrete goal, just make your goal to exercise as much as possible. People that have these over-the-top goals end up stressing themselves out when they realize they aren’t going to accomplish it. Stress isn’t healthy. Go to an Advanced Integrative Health Center to determine what goals are realistic for you and your body type.
Don’t Cut Anything Out
A lot of people decide they’re going to cut out entire foods or skip meals. Firstly, skipping meals is always a bad idea. Your body actually holds on to fat when you skip meals. Secondly, never say, “never.” Yes, it’s probably good you don’t get that burger at McDonalds, but saying you’re “never” going to eat one again just makes it more of an attractive vice. There’s nothing wrong with an occasional burger or doughnut. You just have to decide how you’re going to offset that snack. Add an extra 20 minutes to your work out or eat a smaller dinner. There are many alternatives to just blindly cutting an entire food out of your diet.
Track It
Tracking your progress is an important weight management tool. Tracking your goals on a daily/weekly/monthly basis makes it a lot easier to set realistic and healthy goals. If you work out every single day, eat well for a week, and lose 10 pounds, that’s great. Don’t set “Lose 50 pounds” as a goal for the next week, you know that isn’t going to happen. Try to top your goals by a very modest amount.
All in all, losing weight is all about being healthy. While it may be tempting to think big and go all out, do yourself a favor and give yourself a break. Losing weight is a long process and you mat not see results for months. However, doing it in a healthy fashion will make it a more rewarding and enjoyable experience.