There’s a big difference between losing weight and being fit. I don’t think any of us make a decision to go on another diet knowing that after a while we’re going to gain it right back again. It seems crazy but we all have done this… some of us more than we’d like to admit. It’s not that difficult to put a lot of energy into a diet for the short term, but having any kind of a long term strategy is often given very little thought if any at all. We carefully map out our daily regimen for the next 6 to 12 weeks knowing that if we stick to our plan we’ll have lost 10 or 20 lbs and life will be beautiful once again.
The problem with this type of plan, and most diets we look at is that afterwards we’re like a feather floating in the breeze. Gently drifting from one spot to another, we’re at the mercy of the wind as to where we land. There’s nothing wrong with having a short term weight loss plan to get us where we want to be, but the real secret to long term success is to plan ahead for this day and be ready to move into phase 2 of your diet with a carefully planned and realistic lifestyle change. After all, isn’t being fit for life the real purpose in all of this anyway?
Whether your goal is to be buff or to simply keep off those extra pounds… you have to make some changes to your lifestyle. As difficult as it may seem at first, the reality is that if you really want it, and you take the time to plan for it, it’s much easier to achieve. Making healthy changes to your day to day routine is essential if you want long term results. Implementing these changes is where the post-diet plan and “having a strategy to begin with” comes in to play. Your strategy doesn’t have to be complicated either. Exercise more and put less food in your mouth pretty much sums it up.
So how does something so simple often become so difficult for most people to stick with? Obviously we have to overcome today’s accessibility to processed foods and the convenience of high calorie foods that are all around us by establishing some boundaries and some ground rules to live by. Let’s take a look at some things that you can do to help yourself turn the dream of being slim and fit for the long term into reality.