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Author:
Michael Smith, MD

The best weight loss plans adhere to a few dieting principles that make the difference between lasting weight loss and weight regain, the weight you can back soon after dieting.

When choosing a new diet plan to try, look for the following dieting principles. If you can't obviously recognize these principles within the new diet's structure...drop it and search for another one.

Dieting Principle #1 - Prepare to Diet

The most neglected principle of all four principles. If you skip the preparation part (which should be apart of any diet plan worthy of your money) then weight re-gain is almost guaranteed to occur. Weight regain is the weight many dieters gain back soon after completing a diet.

How do you prepare to diet?

1. Start following a strict schedule for eating meals. Eat 5-6 meals per day, spreading each meal throughout the day that fits your lifestyle best.

2. Eat more protein. Add a lean protein source to each meal (usually around 4-6 oz.).

3. Start an exercise program. Are you really out of shape? If so, start walking 45 minutes every other day. In a week or so, add ankle and wrist weights for resistance. Regardless of your current condition, adding resistance to your exercise program is the best way to tone muscle and lose weight...fast!

Dieting Principle #2 - Prevent Weight Regain

As mentioned before, weight regain is the weight you gain back soon after completing a diet. The best way to prevent this from happening is to control the rate of weight loss.

Losing weight to fast can lead to diet shock, s state of shock the body initiates, indicating you're starving. This is not a good state to be in...weight regain is guaranteed!

A safe rate of weight loss is around 2 pounds/week. Fast or accelerated rates range from 3 to 4 pounds/week. Do not exceed 4 pounds/week...never!

For now focus the two principles above. Prepare properly for losing weight and watch your rate of weight loss. Coming soon are the last two principles listed below.

Dieting Principle #3 - Maintenance Plan

Dieting Prinicple #4 - Maximizing Your Dieting Effort

Check out Best Weight Loss Plans in the meantime.

To Healthy Living!
Michael A. Smith, MD
Diet Basics

Dr. Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a content rich website dedicated to your weight loss success. Quickly becoming known as the net's primary resource for weight loss issues, his RSS Feed and News Blog are received by thousands of e-zine websites, medical centers, and individuals. The interactive content is original and informative, challenging readers to act and maximize their weight loss efforts. Visit Dr. Smith's website at: Diet Basics from the Weight Loss Professional

To Healthy Living!

| Article Keywords: Healthy Diets

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Healthy Diets... Weight Loss Program - Weight Loss? Why Bother With a Diet Plan? Does Weight Loss Matter? We all know that weight loss is important. We know we need a weight loss plan or to start a weight loss program - but ... honestly ... why bother? Will a weight loss program really make any difference in the long run? Many of us comfort ourselves with thoughts like the ones above as we yo-yo between diets and see the scales swing their readings upwards and down. But there is new evidence to give you a fresh push towards better long term health - particularly if you have high blood pressure in addition to being overweight. Body weight and blood pressure interact in a number of important ways. There is a direct link between how overweight you are and how high your blood pressure will be. Not all overweight people have high blood pressure but a large number of them do - particularly in men. Brace yourself and think hard about this: If you are twenty percent overweight (body weight more than 160lb for an average woman or more than 205lb for an average man) then you are eight times more likely to have high blood pressure than someone of a normal weight. Excellent recent research has shown that - no matter what your starting weight - a weight loss of one kilogram will result in a drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of one mmHg. Just think of it like this: if you are overweight, have high blood pressure and are fed up taking large numbers of tablets each day - then try taking some weight off. Losing ten kilograms will see your blood pressure drop by a significant amount. Weight loss of twenty kilograms could see you being able to stop taking many, or all, of your tablets. What a prize that could be! Being overweight is also strongly linked to high blood cholesterol levels and to diabetes. These three things - diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood...