[christina65]

It's true. Most diets are about depriving yourself of your favorite foods. And that feels like punishment. Think about it. Most diets tell you to drop the potato chips, hamburgers, and dessert goodies immediately. Most diets encourage you to see food as the enemy. But food isn't your enemy - or at least it doesn't have to be. In fact, that mindset can really ruin your weight loss efforts.

Food is only your enemy when you don't know how to make it your friend. You wouldn't want to be friends with a person who hurt you all the time. The same is true for food. Just like in your relationships, you should choose foods that are healthy and nurturing.

When it comes to dieting, you can't rely on sheer willpower. Sure, that will work for awhile, but sooner or later your old cravings will return. Willpower is overrated when it comes to dieting. You can only resist that pepperoni pizza for so long before your mouth pops open. And then what happens? You beat yourself up over slipping off your diet. Enough of these incidences and you drop the diet altogether. Does this sound like a good way to lose weight, and keep it off? No, it sure doesn't.

What good is a diet if you return to your bad habits once the diet is over? That's why the world is full of yo-yo dieters. They try one diet after another, never being able to sustain their weight loss. Here's a secret the diet industry doesn't want you to know: It's much easier, and healthier, to commit to a lifetime of healthy eating and exercise, as opposed to a short-term diet that leaves you feeling deprived. Deprivation just doesn't work in the long-run.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

To lose weight, you must not only change your eating and exercise habits, but you also have to change the way you think. Many people really overdo it when it comes to weight loss. They think if one thing is good, then more of it will be better. They believe things like: If walking is great for losing weight, then running a marathon once-a-week will work wonders. If I can lose 5 pounds by eliminating 100 calories, then I'll eliminate 300 calories and lose weight even faster. That kind of thinking can get you into serious trouble and ruin your body.

Cutting too many calories can cause your metabolism to drastically drop. When this happens, your body could go into "starvation mode" and store more fat than usual. Then guess what happens? It becomes harder for you to lose weight. And too much exercise is just as bad for your body as no exercise. Unless you're on Celebrity Fit Club or The Biggest Loser, leave the drill sergeant mentality to the television. Set your focus on achieving a healthy balance between exercise and nutritional food choices.

You want to get into better shape, but how? What exactly should you do to get started? Well, there are numerous approaches to getting into shape. Your exercise style will depend entirely on your likes and dislikes. There are exercise classes, workout DVDs, sports, and many other options. But until you discover the type of physical activity that you find appealing, let's layout a few ground rules to get you started.

Get Motivated. Get Going.