Weight management ought to be a simple, rational, and straightforward undertaking. After all, it is a simple formula. Eat more calories than you burn in a day and the extra calories get stored as fat. Eat the same amount of calories you burn and you maintain your weight. Eat fewer calories than you need each day and your fat gets used and you lose weight. That does not seem too hard. Does it? Unfortunately, humans have a complicated relationship with food and it is not that easy to get how to lose weight fast.

Obesity On The News

We have all heard the statistics that one-third of adults, 72 million people, are obese. We have probably also heard that 16% of children are obese, that more and more kids are getting lifestyle diseases like diabetes II, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol at younger and younger ages. It has been said that today's youth will be the first generation not to outlive their parents in more than a hundred years.

Smacking Ourselves Into Line

It is no secret that being overweight sets you up for a myriad of health problems. We know in our heads that it would be best if we achieved some fat loss. Still, many do not even try. Others try and regain the weight. Some people develop eating disorders and laxative addictions. Why does it not seem to matter that we can die at an earlier age? Part of the answer is that food is more than just something we eat to stay alive.

Just Give It Up

Maybe we should all just give up the struggle and get more and more unhealthy and obese. Ultimately, that does not seem like a very attractive option. Maybe we should go on a very low calorie diet and get rid of the weight once and for all. That is too drastic for most people to do for very long. Before you decide to give dieting one more try, look at your expectations of yourself. Chances are you are expecting yourself to achieve 100% compliance with your diet. Your success is doomed before you even begin. Nobody can be 100% compliant with anything 100% of the time for any extended length of time. Life gets in the way.

Re-framing Expectations

What if we just accepted the fact that we are human and that humans do not do anything 100% of the time for very long? Let's look at the weight management issue differently than we have done in the past. Would it be possible for you to eat healthy foods 50% of your meals in a day or a week? Could you do it 60% of the time? How about 80% of the time? Do you think that you could eat healthy foods for 90% of your meals? What percentage of meals could you actually eat healthy foods without stirring up a lot of anxiety in yourself? That is where you need to begin. Gradually work your way up to eating 90% of your meals with only healthy food. This way you have 10% of your meals left for indulging yourself while still losing weight.

To boost weight loss, approach exercise in the same manner. Would it be possible for you to exercise 10 minutes a day three times a week? Start there and work up to 30 minute sessions five days a week.

Paying Attention To Your Feelings