What's the Best Way to Lose Weight?

This a very common question--with so many diets, diet books, fad diets, diet pills and meal plans, how do you know what really works, or what may even be harmful? I've come up with a short list to help you determine if a diet will work long term for you. Check to see that it incorporates these 5 F's:

1) Food: Is there real food on this plan? Or do you have to make powdered shakes, heat frozen meals, or order supplements from a company? The closer the plan is to how you usually eat, the easier it will be for you to follow. Consider what will happen if you run out of pre-packaged meals or feel like munching on something instead of drinking your breakfast. Sometimes substituting a shake in place of a meal will work; but if you have to keep it up, will you be able to for long?

2) Flexibility: Ideally the diet plan will allow for some changes. If it's a set-in-stone, "this is what you must have for lunch on Tuesday" type of diet, think about what will happen if you have company, want to eat out, have lunch served to you at a business meeting, etc. Good weight-loss plans shouldn't be only black or white: You should be able to substitute a food item, switch off meals during the day and between days, and include some "free" foods if you need a snack. Weight Watcher's is a great example of a flexible plan: you get a certain number of points to use during the day and YOU choose what you eat and when.

3) Financials: How expensive is this plan to follow? If it's all organic or requires a certain brand of snack bar or pre-made meals, you could be in for some sticker shock. How long will you be able to afford this meal plan? There are lots of diet plans that don't require any expensive add-ons. 

4) Filling: Will you be satisfied, or starving? If a diet leaves you continually empty and miserable, chances are you won't be able to stay with it for long. Healthy diet plans incorporate lots of fiber-containing foods to assure your stomach isn't growling long before it's time to eat again. The DASH diet is a great example of a filling and healthy diet.

5) Forever: The best diet is one you'll be able to stay on forever, literally. If you learn to change your habits, eat a bit less and move a bit more, it will simple become your lifestyle; not something you go on and off repeatedly.
The Beck Diet Solution is a great example of how you can change the way you think to change the way you eat. Judith Beck has books and workbooks available to guide you day by day to make these changes. Join us for a group teleclass (that means you can live anywhere in the world and participate with us); find out more and register here. Grab a friend and join us now!

How Much Weight Can I Safely Lose In Six Months?

How much weight can you lose in 6 months that s healthy? What are the best options in your opinion. A little advice would go a long way right now.I am very grateful for your help. Warmest Regards, Tim

Tim,

Great question!
Depending on how much you weigh, experts recommend you aim for losing about 10% of your body weight over six months time. That way you don't resort to unhealthy dieting and miss out on valuable nutrients; you don't lose a lot of water weight that tricks you into thinking you are doing things the right way; and you make small changes and lose weight slowly. So the weight stays off and the healthy new habits stay with you. This means no more dieting in the future!

If you weigh 250 pounds you should aim for 25 pounds off in six months. This is just about one pound a month which should be quite easy to do by eating a little bit less (either smaller portions, lower calorie foods, healthier snacks, or some other ways of cutting back what you take in) and exercising a bit more (just going for a 20 minute walk, parking farther away when you drive somewhere, taking the stairs instead of the elevator). These are all habits you can start working into your daily lifestyle that won't stop after you've lost what you want to.

It's tempting to want to get off five or six pounds a week, but this can't physically be done unless someone is extremely overweight, severely limiting nutritional intake or exercising for hours a day--actions that can't very well be expected to become habits. This leaves us right back where we started as soon as we relax our rigid expectations. And most of the weight loss we see on the scale reflects water loss--not what we really wanted to lose in the first place!

I would suggest you sign up for "5 tips to set you up for successful weight loss" at my website (http://www.mycoachlaurie.com) to get yourself in a great and ready frame of mind. As you go along, view the blog "Balanced Diet, Balanced Life" at http://lifedietbalance.blogspot.com to fill you with ideas and motivation over the next several months.

Good Luck! And do let me know how you are doing :)
Laurie

Are There Any Good Diets That Will Help Me Lose Weight Fast?

Hi,
I wanted to know if there are any good diets that will help me lose weight fast. I get discouraged very easily when I'm not losing. I especially crave sweets. When I'm frustrated with the slow weight loss I just chuck the whole idea and gain the weight back... what can I do? --Denise S.

Dear Denise,

I'm pretty sure you know the answer to this.... And my answer is "No" there aren't any good, fast weight loss diets.

Any diet you go on will help you lose weight in the short run but you know you'll just gain it back again. Instead of a diet, come up with some healthy eating goals that are very do-able! Like "This week I will eat a fruit one time every day when I crave a sweet"... just once each day! It will take time to train your brain to be thinking healthy but it will happen. Just take it slow. Think about how you are feeling when you crave sweets and instead of fighting with your inner child (who always throws a tantrum and screams YES I WANT THAT NOW!) ask yourself what it is you really want: what is it that the sweet will give you?
Is it comfort? If so is there something else that will comfort you, like a phone call to a friend?
Is it boredom? If so is there a good book you've been wanting to read that you could pick up with a piece of fruit :)

Weight loss is difficult--that's why so many people are overweight. The best way to get the extra pounds off is slow and steady, by developing new and healthy habits. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this if you haven't heard it before: There are no good fast diets ;)

What's the Best Diet To Follow?

This solution is going to be different for everyone, but basically the answer is "the one you can stick with". Studies show that people successfully lose weight as long as they are on any regimen that is helping them eat fewer calories than they burn. If you start a program and you're not ready to devote the time and energy to stick with it; if it's too difficult to continuously be calculating; or if it leaves you starving all day, you're not likely to remain on it for more than a few days.

Think about giving something new a shot: learning to eat a healthy and balanced diet every day! This means you don't have to give up anything forever. You can still have snacks, desserts, even chocolate :) You just have to set your mind to eating all things in moderation and putting some attention to planning ahead. This means simple strategies such as having only one dessert a day; eating smaller portions at meals; making an effort to include plenty of fruits and vegetables and adequate servings of dairy products to meet your nutrient needs; and planning meals ahead of time so you don't end up ordering pizza night after night because you have nothing in the house to cook!

Some helpful tools to use are the food guide pyramid website and the Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight six week program.

Please post your comments here: we'd love to hear what you tried and what worked for you!