The key to losing weight has nothing to do with carbs, sugars or fats. The simple fact is, losing weight has to do with caloric intake. Burn more calories than you eat in a day, and the weight will come off. I've done it before, let me show you how.
1. Get good at math. You have to burn 3600 calories to lose 1 pound. The average person burns about 2000 calories a day. Cutting back by only 300 calories a day, 6 days a week will burn 1800 calories a week, or 1/2 pound every week, totaling 26 pounds a year! Cutting 300 calories is equivalent to removing 1 can of soda and 1 small bag of potato chips out of your daily diet. To lose weight twice as fast, limit yourself to 1200 calories a day (women)/1500 calories a day (men). Granted, it does not take a lot to consume 1200 calories in a day. I have been known to consume 1200 calories in 20 minutes many a time, but that's how I ended up becoming 50 pounds overweight. The great thing thing is that you can eat anything you want, so you can mold the diet to your own particular tastes. So, no more face-puckering grapefruits for breakfast. But remember, you have 3 meals to get through, so think of your calories as currency- don't spend it all in one place.
2. Decide what foods you can live without and which ones you can't. For example, if you absolutely can not eat a sandwich without potato chips on the side, then make room in your diet for a serving of your favorite chips. If you get an occasional craving for candy bars, eat half of your favorite candy bar and save the other half for the next day. After the first few weeks of refraining from eating whatever catches your eye, you will realize that you have been eating a lot of things just because they were there, not because you really wanted them.
3. When you get a strong, sudden craving, wait it out before you give in. Most of the time the craving will go away. If you have been thinking about ice cream for the past 6 hours, then go ahead and indulge, but do so responsibly. Remember, if you spend the calories at the ice cream shop, you are taking them away from somewhere else. Also, keep some sugar free gum handy, it helps to curb your craving for sweets.
4. Be flexible with what you eat throughout the day. You have to give and take on an hour to hour basis for this diet to work. If you have pizza for lunch, have a salad for dinner. If you couldn't resist a fresh baked cookie at snack time, get a low-calorie Subway sandwich for dinner. Whatever you do, stick to your calorie limit for the day, and do what you have to do to stay full.
5. Explore and find a treasure trove of low calorie foods that make you feel full. Fruits and vegetables are good for this. I also enjoy pretzels and cereal. These foods can stave off hunger and get you through to the next delicious meal. Also search around for ways to lighten up your favorite meals and snacks. You'll be surprised at how many calories you can save by making a few recipe changes without effecting the taste whatsoever.
6. Take 1 day off every week. This is the best part of this diet. Choose 1 day of the week to eat up to 2,000 calories and then stick with that day. While you won't lose any weight on this day, as long as you don't gain any, who cares? Remember, it takes time to lose weight. You need to be able to enjoy yourself while you're doing it. Even if you only lose 1 pound a week, that equals 52 pounds in a year. If you're comfortable with taking the weight off even more slowly, you can increase your daily caloric intake even higher than what I recommended initially.
7. Exercise. I know, most of us despise this part- myself included. Unfortunately, it is a necessary evil to help your body build muscle, which in turn raises your metabolism and burns calories even quicker. Find something you enjoy, and get at least the minimum of 3, 30 minute workouts each week.
8. Maintain. Once you have achieved your goal weight, you can increase your caloric intake to whatever your daily needs are. This will be trial and error at first, because everyone is slightly different in this respect. For a month, keep track of how many calories you eat every week, and compare it to any fluctuations in your weight. If you can maintain your weight within 1 or 2 pounds of your goal, you know you are eating the correct number of calories. If you are still losing weight, add more calories and if you are gaining weight, take some away.
Hopefully someone will find this helpful, I really think it is the best way to control your eating habits. It takes a few weeks to adjust, but once you learn that you don't have to max out a craving to be satisfied, you'll be on your way to sweet success. Good luck!
