Want to lose weight? Ditch the diet!

It is estimated that 90% of the population would have tried a diet. How is it then that our nation's collective waist seems to get larger and larger?
As non intuitive as it appears the answer is that people try to lose weight by dieting! There are two main issues with dieting:

1. You lose weight quickly and that weight lose includes the loss of lean muscle mass ( muscles ). Muscles are metabolic tissues and help burn calories. Losing muscles will decrease your ability to burn fat and thus make it harder to keep the weight off.
2. Diets are by nature transient. Once they are over, people normally return to their normal way of living and inevitably the pounds come back.

The common pattern of intermittent dieting actually makes it harder for people to maintain their weight and can even be responsible for an increase in the rate of weight gain!
Now for the good news: with lifestyle changes you can lose weight and maintain that weight loss.
We all know it intuitively: Eat less, move more!
Think about lifestyle changes. Implement small changes, one or two at a time and build on it. Take it slow, remember you put that weight over a long time. It will take some time to shed it off if you want to do it properly.
Here are some tips:

• Stop drinking your calories! Limit the amount of sodas, sugary drinks, lattes and even juices. Try to drink more water and tea!
• Read labels. You may be surprised that two brands that taste the same could have drastically different calories.
• Stir fry or roast instead of deep frying
• Use smaller plates
• Start moving more. Select an activity you enjoy! A short walk, a game of football, a swim in the lake. Aim for 30 minutes a day
• Add some resistance training. You need this to build/preserve your muscles. You can use your own weight for resistance, gym equipment or even the reformer!

I hope this steps get you started :) If you have any questions just leave a comment!