The Five Commandments of Successful Weight Loss

There are a million diet plans on the market today.  You can increase your chance of picking a suitable plan if you look for these five commandments of successful weight loss.

Satiety

Satiety is feeling full, gratified.  Most diet programs leave people feeling hungry - which has a host of other effects.  When you feel hungry, you are more likely to binge the next time you eat.  Hunger can also lead to depression, anger, and headaches.

A diet can tackle satiety in several ways – like eating every 3-4 hours.  This is a component of most diet plans available today for a very good reason - eating smaller, more frequent meals has been proven to help burn fat and keep your metabolism revved up.

Calorie Deficit

For fat loss to occur, you must burn more calories than you take in.  There are several components to creating a calorie "deficit", and using them all together will be the most effective.  Plus, you won't be starving yourself like you usually do when you diet.  Achieving satiety while also creating a calorie deficit is a challenge, but not impossible.

How do you create this calorie deficit?  It is a combination of watching your intake along with the right types of exercise, which burn calories during and after activity, as long as 36 hours after completion!  

Besides eating every 3-4 hours, your diet needs to be rich in 4 components known to make you feel "fuller" but also contribute to fat burning - protein, fats, fiber and water.

Portion Control

One of the most difficult aspects of any fat loss program is getting your portion sizes under control.  In order to achieve fat loss you need to create a calorie deficit, and one of the ways to do that is through portion control - but how do you do this while not feeling hungry?

Consuming a lean protein along with healthy fats and fiber at each meal, and eating each meal 3-4 hours apart BEFORE you have a chance to feel hungry again, will cover the satiety aspect.  You will also notice that you will feel fuller with less food, so you will be controlling your portions without really focusing on it.

Regularity

You must include fiber-rich foods in your diet (beans, peas, apples, grapefruit).  A major advantage of fiber is the effect on weight control. Studies have shown that the majority of seriously overweight people have diets low in fiber. Since fiber-rich foods are filling and usually low in fat, you'll feel more satisfied with less food and lose weight more easily.

It is recommended that between 20 and 30 grams of fiber be consumed daily and at least eight glasses of water to aid the movement of food through the digestive tract.

Hydration

Dehydration inhibits fat loss.  Most people don't get enough water on a daily basis, never mind for training / fat loss.  When you don't have enough water, your bowels will also slow down.

Here are a few suggestions to getting water into your program:

1. Never let yourself get thirsty - drink enough that you don't feel parched.
2. If you are exercising, drink 1 ounce of water for every ounce of body weight lost while exercising.  So if you weigh one pound less after exercising, you should drink 16 ounces of water.
3. If you are a goal-oriented person, get a half-gallon jug of water and carry it around with you - your goal is to finish it by the end of the day