Permanent weight loss for most women is a slow and steady
process. Give yourself a year or more to adopt new eating habits. Meanwhile,
you may lower your risk of such disorders as heart disease, stroke, diabetes,
and some cancers.
Promise yourself that this diet will be your last. Repeated
losses and gains rob your body of muscle tissue, increase your risk of disease,
and contribute to the tendency to regain fat.
Evaluate whether or not you really need to lose weight. If
an extra two kilograms isn’t causing or aggravating a medical condition, it may
be healthier to accept yourself as you are.
Forget ideal-weight charts. Think of a weight you were able
to maintain comfortably for longer than six months, and aim for that goal.
Accept the reality that body shape and size are largely
determined by genetics. Try to reach the weight that’s right for you- not an
idealized image - and stay there.
If you are obese, discuss a weight-loss plan with your
doctor or dietician. Obesity is commonly defined as weighing more than 20
present the desired weight for someone of your height and body type. Risks
include high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and other illnesses.
If you have a health problem that is caused or exacerbated
by your weight, such as elevated blood cholesterol or diabetes, losing
kilograms can bring significant improvements - even if you still weigh well
above what is considered ideal.
Assess your potential for success in dieting. Do you
recognize the need for a nutritional overhaul - not just a diet that you will
abandon as soon as you’ve achieved your weight-loss goals? Can you handle the
stresses at home and on the job pretty well? If you answer no to either
question, consider postponing your diet.
Analyse your own needs. If you lack motivation, you may do
best by joining a program that offers peer group support.
Choose a reducing programme that encourages a slow, steady
loss (about half a kilogram or less a week for women, one kilogram or less
weekly for men) and focuses on changing habits.
Avoid diets based on one food or food group. Be wary of any
eating plan that veers to far from the food pyramid.
Recognize the signs of eating disorders. The most common are
anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Anorexics starve themselves; Bulimics alternate
between binge-eating and purging. The disorders often cause serious health
problems, so consult a doctor if you have developed either disorder ; or both
of them.
