Rafi Bar-Lev is a former IDF combat medic and a fitness expert. He is also founder the of the community fitness and fat loss site, Passionate Fitness, where he recently wrote about 5 popular weight loss tips that can actually kill you.
While it is true that there are many ways for you to use exercises to lose weight, ultimately it’s your diet that will dictate whether or not you succeed in shedding the pounds and getting the dream body you’ve always wanted.
Once you choose a weight loss diet that you feel best fits you, it’s important that you follow certain rules to make sure that your diet succeeds. Here are the 5 rules you need to follow:
1. Be consistent. Even if you are following the best diet plan in the world, if you don’t follow through, chances are you won’t succeed. The more you keep it up, the faster you’ll lose the weight. And remember, keeping a proper diet is a LOT easier once you lose the weight and are in the “maintenance” stage, so use that as motivation to keep on going.
2. Don’t panic if you have a relapse. Almost everyone relapses at some point when dieting, whether it’s eating ice cream or cake. The important thing is that when you relapse, you don’t throw away your entire diet. Okay, so you lost one day – big deal, you’ll get it back. But don’t let one day turn into a week and then a month and then a year. After a relapse, get back on track right away.
3. Have a support group. Having a support group is a great way to help you stick through your diet. Follow websites that talk about diet and fitness to read what like-minded people are saying and feel free to leave comments. If you can find other people you know who are dieting you can talk to, that is also great. The important thing is to know that millions of people have dieted and succeeded, so you don’t need to feel alone.
4. Don’t get caught up in the details. Whether you’re following a diet ebook or Atkins really doesn’t matter. Ultimately, what’s important in losing weight is that you’re spending more calories than you’re taking in. Don’t psyche yourself out about things like trans-fats or no trans-fats (you can do that later), and just stick to the basic calorie counting.
5. Keep a food journal. It’s incredibly important that you keep a food journal at least for the first two weeks when on a diet. This will allow you to get an honest handle on exactly what you’re eating and how it’s affecting your weight, allowing you to adjust your diet based on real facts written in your journal so that you can see results.
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