How do I start dieting

How do I start dieting

 The word dieting is usually associated with weight loss, but there are many reasons for following healthy diets, as those who suffer from an unhealthy weight need special care to improve their eating and sports habits, and athletes are interested in healthy diets to reach the best physical conditions, in addition to feeling comfortable and satisfied with Many people lose weight, and here are some tips on how to start a healthy weight loss diet:

Consult a doctor before starting the diet:

 The doctor may provide some basic information that can help lose weight better, and may refer the patient to a nutritionist, or a specialized health care provider who may help in some cases, such as a diabetes consultant, which contributes to achieving the weight that the person aspires to reach in a way. security.

 Setting goals:

 Setting long and short-term goals is one of the most important steps to starting a healthy weight loss diet. To build confidence and continuity when facing difficulties, it is advised at first to set long-term goals, and then divide them into small weekly goals as a starting point, and to make sure to choose logical goals that can be achieved for weight loss, provided that the amount of weight loss ranges between 0.5-1 kilograms per week. Sticking to these goals despite the slowness in reaching results and the long period of time to achieve the goal; This is to learn consistent healthy eating habits for the rest of life; Where it was noted that the loss of a small percentage of weight; Or the equivalent of 5% to 10% of body weight helps improve health in general, and reduce blood pressure, blood sugar level, and cholesterol in particular.

 Make sure you are ready to lose weight:

It is important to determine the reason for wanting to lose weight; To adhere to and succeed with the plan followed, and before starting to follow the diet plan to lose weight, the person must be sure of his readiness for it, and having the motivation or incentive to follow this plan, in addition to focusing on losing weight before starting the diet, without other distractions, and it is important to choose to commit to losing weight. Because of the will of the person himself, not because of pressure from another person.

 Start writing a food note:

Keeping a food diary is one of the good habits, to know the food habits before starting the diet, and to know the amount of calories consumed daily, and thus determine the starting point to achieve the goal of losing weight, and it may also give the nutritionist a good idea about the bad eating habits that he follows or thinks are healthy. It is not, in addition to the ability to continue to achieve the goal and face difficulties and challenges.

 Gradually change:

Despite the difficulty of changing, the best way to change the diet is to start making small gradual changes, preferably one change each week, to help get used to the new food behavior, to obtain healthy eating habits that may last a lifetime, and examples of these changes Start by providing the cupboards and refrigerator with healthy foods, and preparing healthy meals at home, and these meals are not required to be different from the foods that a person usually eats, but it is necessary to learn how to prepare these foods in a healthy way, and it is necessary to know the sufficient quantity of them.

 Avoid misleading diets:

Many people follow some unhealthy and misleading diets, thinking that they may improve their health, make them feel better, or improve their appearance, and promise them to get the best results within a short time and in easy ways, and this may be due to lower calorie intake than usual, by following the requirements of Strict limits on food choices, or include constantly repeating the same foods, but these diets give an effect for a short period of time, which may lead to weight gain again and return to the previous weight after completing the diet, and most of the lost weight may be as a result of losing Water or muscle instead of losing fat, because it didn't fix the basic eating habits that led to weight gain in the first place.

 Follow a proper diet:

 Actually; There is no one-size-fits-all diet; The choice of appropriate diets for each person varies according to what the body requires to lose weight, and it depends on age, gender, height, activity level, and the amount of weight loss. It is important to determine the person’s budget, lifestyle restrictions, work, culture, and what his family eats; To facilitate adherence and follow-up to the diet, it is therefore preferable to consult a nutritionist to develop a personal diet that suits each person based on his circumstances,

 It is also possible to learn to determine the number of calories required to lose weight, as the number of calories that must be reduced per day varies according to the specific goal for weight loss.

Not to punish oneself in case of deviation from the health system:

Strict thinking about achieving the diet and lifestyle is one of the main obstacles in adhering to it, as a person may sometimes have to eat some unhealthy foods, and this may lead him to think that his diet for that day is not useful, and therefore he will continue to eat unhealthy foods throughout That day, and thinking in this way is bad for dieting, the correct thing is to continue to follow a healthy diet even if you break some of its rules during the day.

 It is also worth noting that some of the added options that are not included in the nutritional plan will make only a small difference in the long run when balancing them with the healthy foods that a person continues to eat.

Therefore, one must avoid self-blame when moving away from the diet, getting rid of wrong thoughts, and returning to the right track, to avoid recurring the problem again, in addition to discovering and correcting weaknesses, without giving up the diet, and 80% of the rules of the system can be adhered to. Diet, and reduce adherence to 20% of the rules, and this means that even with a healthy diet that aims to lose weight, it is necessary to introduce some beloved foods and avoid deprivation of any kind of food, but rather learn the appropriate times and quantities to eat them.

How do I know I need to lose weight?

Excess weight may cause many health problems such as: obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems. It is worth noting that determining the ideal weight varies from person to person; Depending on age, muscle fat percentage, height, gender, body fat distribution, or body shape, the Body Mass Index (in English: Body Mass Index), known as BMI, is one of the common tools to determine the appropriate weight for a person, depending on weight and height, according to for the following equation:

 BMI = weight in kilograms ÷ (height in metres)²

BMI is divided into four bands according to the National Institutes of Health, as follows:

 Underweight or underweight:

When your body mass index is less than 18.5.

perfect weight:

 When it ranges between 18.5 -24.9.

 Overweight:

When it ranges between 25 -29.9.

Obesity:

 When the feeding index exceeds 30.

 An overview of the diet

Dieting or a healthy diet aims to obtain an adequate amount of nutritious, safe, and varied foods daily, as the food eaten greatly affects the health of the body and quality of life, but the diversity of common diets and their trends may cause confusion, despite the ease of choosing and eating Healthy foods, so it is advised to stay away from complex health systems that are limited to harsh goals and restrictions, such as unrealistic thinness and deprivation of desirable or lovable foods, and to stay away from exhausting and conflicting advice about nutrition and diets, and to adopt flexible systems that make the person feel comfortable, and improve health and mood.