How To: The Biggest Loser Winner is…
Ok, so probably a couple thousand different diet plans are out there right now. Most of them ask that you only spend a small fortune to help you lose the weight you want to drop.
A hugely popular show on television even takes some of the fattest and laziest people in our society, and pits them against each other and temptation. To win, all you have to do is go against everything you ever have known, and lose the most weight each week. If you fail to do so, you get cut from the show, as you clearly don’t want help losing weight, because if you did, you would have starved yourself more, and exercised harder.
So, without much more complaining, let’s find some healthy steps to lose weight.
Step 1: Stop Listening toEveryone Else
Except for me, that is. Everyone has the best idea on how to lose weight, because if it worked for him or her, it surely will do so for you, right? But you aren’t everyone else. You are you. So, your plan needs to be right for you. If you love bread and all those lovely carbs, a no-carb diet isn’t for you.
Step 2: Examine Your Goals
So, you’ve decided you want to lose weight, or you have been trying for awhile, perhaps even years, without success. Look into why you want to shed pounds. Are you obese, or slightly overweight, and you want to be healthier? Do you want to look good in a swimsuit? What is your reason? Remember, your goals need to be yours, not someone else’s. If you’ve decided to lose weight because you want to, let’s move on.
Step 3: Setting Your Goals
Your goals need to be realistic. The Biggest Loser is neither realistic nor even healthy. It is, in fact, the worst possible method. Massive amounts of exercise and dieting don’t work. Doctors will tell you it doesn’t, so don’t listen to a “reality” television show. Dropping a pound or two a week is healthy. Set your goal to match. Health is more important than looks. If you want to lose 10 pounds by summer, make sure to start 10 weeks before your deadline.
Step 4: Making Your Plan
Now that you have your goal and your timetable, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to go about attaining it. Here’s where diet and exercise come into play—or a plastic surgeon. Let’s assume you’re going to go with diet and exercise.
Diet doesn’t mean cutting out everything you love. It entails taking a look at what you’re eating and how often, and what is good and bad for you. Slowly add healthier foods, and subtract bad foods. If you eat out a lot, perhaps you should eat in more, or make healthier choices when you go out. You don’t need to eliminate everything you love, but you do need to rein it in. If you have a chocolate addiction, remove it from your regular diet, and use it as a reward to yourself when you do well. If you try getting rid of it completely, you’ll end up crashing, and landing in a chocolate orgy.
Now, on to exercise. The best idea is joining a gym. Unless you’re new to dieting, you probably already tried it, and perhaps even failed at it. New Year’s resolutions, anybody? You can introduce exercise into your life by parking at the far side of the lot; taking the stairs instead of the elevator; or hanging out with friends by walking around the lake instead of sitting around the house. These baby steps really can help you start, and later as you get used to it. When you begin seeing results, you slowly can add more. Make it into a habit.
Step 5: Sticking to Your Goals
You’ve made your plan, and set up ways to achieve your goals. That was the easy part. Knowing what you should do and actually doing it can be two very different things for most people. Let your friends know what you’re engaged in. Make sure they are good friends, of course. If they tell you negative things about your desire to lose weight, they aren’t going to support you. You will need help to stick to your goals. Nothing feels better than having someone tell you that you can do it, or that they’ve noticed your diet is working. They also will be the ones to encourage you to keep it up when you feel like quitting. And you will contemplate giving up at some point when things aren’t going like you thought.
Step 6: Adjusting Your Plan and Goals
Not everyone is going to see the results hoped for. Each person’s body is different from another’s. So, even though you aren’t losing the weight the way you thought you would, have exercising and eating healthier made you feel better about yourself? Let’s be honest: It’s all about that. If you are able to stick to the plan you made, perhaps try upping the goals. Go from walking to speed-walking. Add in healthier foods, and take out more of the bad food. The main point is advancing by baby steps. These changes need to be sustainable. The Biggest Loser is not. Many winners and other contestants gain back all, if not more, of the weight they lost when they returned to their normal sedentary lives. Quick results feel good, but don’t last. You want lasting results. If nothing else seems to be working, talk to your doctor. Perhaps a medical reason outside your control is hindering your results.
