Beware Rapid Weight Loss Diet Plans

Do Not Panic Diet!

Beware rapid weight loss diet plans that promise miracles overnight. Do not panic diet! Panic dieting leads you onto a pendulum of rapid weight loss following by rapid weight gain and back again. Weight lost through panic dieting seems to come off from the top down, whilst fat reapplies itself from the bottom up whenever you slip off your diet. All panic dieting will give you is a pear-shaped figure.

Weight survey statistics show that roughly 50% of people commencing an overly strict rapid weight loss diet plan or regime fail to stick with it for longer than 2 weeks. Of those that do follow a diet plan for a month or more, 80% have regained most of the weight they lost within a year. The National Weight Control Registry reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that as few as 20% of dieters successfully maintain long-term weight loss.

How can you avoid the panic diet trap? Plan longer term and focus on your health. Instead of aiming to fit into size 8 jeans next week, choose size 12 for a lifetime.

Rather than throw yourself into a rapid weight loss diet regime of starving and under-supplying yourself with vital nutrients, sit down and take a long hard look your eating habits. Do you want to make a longer term change to your health? Decide to set yourself some healthy eating goals. It’s time to outgrow your unhealthy eating habits ... permanently.

To maintain weight loss longer term involves adopting and enjoying healthy eating habits. This takes practice and perseverance.

The National Weight Control Registry found that the key factors successful dieters had in common were that they:

engaged in high levels of physical activity
ate a diet low in calories and fat
ate breakfast
self-monitored their weight on a regular basis
maintained a consistent eating pattern over the different days of the week
caught slight weight gains early before they turned into larger regains.

Long-term weight control also seemed to be more manageable for dieters who initiated weight loss following a medical event.

Don't wait for a medical trigger to scare you into losing weight. Set yourself a positive health goal such as greater energy, strength and mental agility. Give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to rebuild itself. Look forward to clearer skin, sparkling eyes and healthy hair and nails, all available through improving your diet.

Here are some healthier eating habits you can work on: