Weight Loss: Setting Realistic Goals

by Angel Lynn Diamond | More from this Blogger

10 Mar 2009 06:32 PM

Losing weight is not an easy task for most. A common mistake that people make when they attempt to lose weight is setting their goals too high instead of keeping within realistic limits. If you consider that it takes a 3500-calorie deficit in order to lose just one pound each week you will understand that expecting to lose more than a couple of pounds per week is not advisable. If you do so you will be setting yourself up for possible disappointment. In doing this you will likely lose interest in your endeavors and be subject to discouragement and defeat.

Studies have shown that the more slowly that you lose weight the more likely that you are to keep the weight off. This is due, in part, to your body making the necessary adjustments to your newly found decrease. Your body discovers that less is substantial to fulfill your hunger needs, as your stomach size is slowly decreasing. As you lose weight and your stomach becomes smaller in size you will need less to fill it up. Drinking a glass of water alone before you eat can help to obtain this feeling of fullness. It is also a good idea to follow the well-known rule of eating more slowly to give your stomach time to recognize that you are indeed full.

If you are dieting and managing to lose that pound or two each week, rejoice at your success and be patient. The weight will come off, but it will take time. Attempting to rush your weight loss and accomplishing much more than that on a weekly basis is likely to send your weight right back up defeating all that you had accomplished. Losing weight is more than just taking pounds off it is learning to enjoy a new and healthy way of eating in a controlled manner and learning to stop when you are full. Any eating beyond this fullness point is likely to result in added pounds.

Angel Lynn writes in weight loss, single parenting, and health.

Learn more about Angel Lynn Diamond

I am a mom to my precious one and only, a nurse in a heartwarming adult living facility, and a freelance writer.

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