There have been many theories about how to lose weight effectively over the last number of decades. All of this information can be quite confusing and actually cause you to throw in the towel before commencing on a diet or weight management program as I prefer to call it. I believe that there are a few guidelines that you should stick to if you want to lose weight effectively and permanently.

You must have a clear and concise reason for wanting to lose weight

You might have an important event coming up or a serious weight related health issue, either of these are strong enough reasons to want to get your weight down to acceptable levels. Strong reasons such as these, will keep you motivated to hang in when and if the going gets tough.

Bite size chunks and baby steps help you lose weight more effectively

Remember the movie “Dr Bob” starring Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray? Bill Murray plays the role of an obsessive compulsive patient and Dreyfuss plays Dr Bob, a psychologist who wrote a book titled “Baby Steps”. The book explains taking baby steps or bite size chunks in order to achieve any desired outcome.

I suggest that you apply this clever strategy to your weight loss efforts. If you have a tremendous amount of weight to lose, don’t focus on the big picture, focus on losing 5Kgs at a time.

Find the right weight loss management program for you

What type of person are you?

• Are you extremely disciplined and able to stick to a rigid diet? If so, then find a diet that will help you to lose the weight fast and most importantly, keep it off.
• If you are someone who needs the odd indulgence, you might need to find a diet that is more flexible and permits you a little leeway every now and then.

Find a diet that does not compromise on nutrition

Any diet that restricts any of the food groups should be avoided like the plague. That eliminates about 90% of the diets available. These diets are going to cause you to crave foods that will make you gain weight. Ever find that you crave ice cream? It probably means that you need calcium and that you are not getting enough in your diet. Don’t compromise on nutrition as it will retard your weight loss efforts significantly!

Do some research and make sure that your body is getting everything that it needs on a daily basis. This will ensure that you are not tempted to “cheat” on fattening foods and snacks.

Once you have found the right diet for you, set realistic goals and keep a track of your results. Remember to be patient! You didn’t gain all the weight in one week and you won’t lose it in a week either.