What Dieters Should Know

Losing extra weight is not an easy or quick task and crash diets only worsen the problem. The only way to achieve successful weight-loss is through a lifelong commitment to sensible eating and regular exercise.

What dieters should know
It is advisable to eat small meals at more frequent intervals. This way, the body will not think that it is being starved and will not store food as fat.
The best way to slim down involves consuming fewer calories and expending more of them by exercising; thus the body uses up more energy than it takes in and depletes its fat stores. You should work up gradually to a program of sustained exercise for 20 to 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 days a week.
During the first week of dieting, you may lose up to 3 pounds, due to initial loss of water. After that, aim for a steady loss of 1 - 2 pound a week. This allows you to lose weight without becoming overly hungry. There are 3,500 calories in a pound of stored fat, so reducing your intake by 500 calories a day can achieve this goal.


Crash diets may produce dramatic results in the first week or two, but this is mainly because the body is losing water. This kind of diet also encourages the yoyo phenomenon, in which a person loses weight quickly and then gains it all back as soon as he returns to his normal eating habits. As a yo-yo dieter returns to his former weight, he will also have an increased fat level.
Fasting, even when plenty of water is consumed, can be very dangerous; it may lead to lowered blood pressure and heart failure. Weight loss from fasting is rarely sustained once eating is resumed.


It is important to know that when you exercise it is very probable for you to gain some weight, this is because you are increasing your muscle mass and muscle are heavier than fat. Muscles also burn calories all-day long, with this fact one can start weight loss by increasing muscle mass. The more muscles a person has, the less fat he/she will have. You can increase your muscle mass by doing resistance exercises. Additionally, when you acquire more muscles, you also use more calories every day. Therefore, even if you do not change your diet, you will still be losing weight.


Diet supplements. Over-the-counter diet supplements affect the amount of weight one loses, as well as how long one keeps that amount of weight off. Many people try diet pills and capsules, but science has yet to create a magic pill for weigh loss that is also safe to take. Some pills may help control the appetite, but they can also have serious side effects. Be careful of so-called "fat blockers" that claim to absorb fat, as well as "starch blocker" that promise to block starch digestion. These claims have not been proven. Also be careful of herbal weight-loss products because many of these are loaded with stimulants that can cause heart problem and other serious side effects.
Weight-loss devices and gadgets. Different devices that are promoted for weight- loss are a waste of money, and some of them can even be dangerous. Examples of these gadget include weight-loss earrings that supposedly stimulate acupuncture points that control hunger, as well as appetite-suppressing eyeglasses said to project image onto the retina that dampens desire to eat.
Give yourself a one day treat by eating anything you want but don't binge. If your favorite snack is cake and mocha, have one or two after every successful week of weight loss. This reward may help you to continue taking off the pounds.