So you've finally decided to do something about your weight.
That's fantastic.
Welcome to the start of a new you.
If you do this right and follow a proven programme then you are guaranteed to see positive life changing results in no time.
If this is your first time trying to lose weight then it is important that you get off on the right foot, to all the others well you've tried other weight loss methods and you haven't received the results you were looking for so its time for a change.
Welcome and consider this a new beginning.
First of all you need to understand that achieving permanent weight loss is an easy thing do to so long as you do it right.
Any other way and you will just be fighting an upward battle.
With so many approaches choosing a weight loss programme can be a daunting task.
So considering some basic things will help you make the right choice.
First of all I need to make things really clear right from the start, dieting alone will not help you achieve permanent weight loss.
Why because as soon as you deviate a little bit from your diet, it stops working and you end up putting the weight back on, the worst thing is that most people find that they put the weight back on a lot quicker than the first time, so you could end up seeing your body ballooning outwards within a very short space of time.
I'm sure you can appreciate that this isn't very healthy and won't do your confidence and self esteem any good either.
Another thing that I need to mention right from the start it that starving your self will never ever lead to permanent weight loss.
Ask yourself have you ever missed a meal or breakfast thinking to yourself that its better that you don't eat, it will help you keep the pounds off.
I'm afraid this is a very big mistake.
Once you begin to understand how your body works you will realise that starving yourself and missing meals is perhaps one the worst things you can do.
Starving your self and missing meals only leads to your body going into what is commonly known as starvation mode.
This is a defence mechanism our bodies have developed over millions of years and has helped our species survive through times when food has been scarce.
Starvation mode triggers your body to convert as much food as possible into fat instead of burning it as it normally would.
Why, because then if you are faced with starvation or missing meals in the future then there will be fat stores the body can use to survive.
It's a great mechanism for survival but it creates a big obstacle when it comes to weight loss.
For this reason it is imperative that you avoid missing meals or starving your self because you will end up doing more harm than good.
Not to mention the fact that it will slow your metabolism down considerably.
I don't want to focus too much on what doesn't work, lets focus on the more positive things.
Your weight loss program will include a healthy diet of course.
At the end of the day it is because of the things we put into our mouth that we have gained weight in the first place.
If we didn't need to eat then we would never have to worry about our weight.
So eating healthily is always a step in the right direction.
The thing that you need to remember about a healthy diet is that it is designed to help maintain your weight and not designed to help you lose weight.
The next factor you need to take into consideration is whether your weight loss programme includes a cardio workout.
Cardio workouts are high impact exercises that help raise your body temperature, get your heart and lungs working hard to compensate for the work you are doing.
If you find you are not gasping for breath at the end of the exercise then I'm afraid your exercise programme is not pushing you the level where you will benefit and lose weight.
The last factor to consider is whether your weight loss program includes resistance training.
Resistance training helps strengthen the muscles in your body, this is very important and will accelerate your weight loss because the stronger your muscles are the more calories they will burn.
The stronger your muscles the more calories are needed to maintain them.
The great thing about this is that you will be burning calories at a much higher rate even when you are not exercising, so you will lose weight faster than you've ever done before.
When you find a weight loss program that includes all these aspects then you can be sure you will lose weight and keep it off forever.
By Sam Das