how to keep on track with weight loss goal

Instead, try having a smaller serving (a half a cup, for example), filling your bowl with fruit and a small dollop of ice cream, substituting a lower-calorie option (such as frozen yogurt), or having it less frequently (such as once per week at a restaurant, so as not to tempt you each night at home). For example, having a bowl of ice cream in the evening may be really important to you, so trying to cut it out completely may lead you to give up on weight loss entirely.

Along with choosing an overall diet that fits your preferences, make sure your program leaves room for your favorite foods. Who wants to feel deprived for even short periods of time? Enjoying what you eat is really important. The program should focus on dietary changes that you can stick with long-term. Are you able to not eat over long periods of time without getting “hangry”? If so, intermittent fasting might be worth a try. Most important is choosing a program that has a diet that you ENJOY! Do you like vegetables? If so, maybe a vegetarian diet will work for you. In head-to-head comparisons, weight loss diets have been shown to work about the same in terms of weight loss success. A diet that fits with your preferences.Assuming that you will continue to lose weight at that rate can lead to you feeling frustrated and giving up completely. While people do tend to lose larger amounts of weight the first week or two of a new weight loss program this rate is often not sustainable longer term. These are popular diet plans and exercise programs that guarantee you large and rapid weight losses in short time periods, such as “Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days!” or “Get Slim by Saturday!” Instead, look for programs that have you aim for about a pound per week of weight loss. Avoid the weight loss equivalents of “get rich quick” schemes. For your best chance at success, look for a program that includes these 7 components. How do you know which one to pick? The good news is that researchers have identified the types of weight loss programs that can help you succeed at losing weight (and keeping it off!). It can seem like there are a million different weight loss programs, and that new diet plans and exercise programs pop up every day.

Kathryn Ross, MPH, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Florida, Department of Clinical & Health Psychology Rebecca Krukowski, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Preventive Medicine

How to keep on track with weight loss goal