Most people start on a quick diets for weight loss program by making big changes. This can give a fast pay off with a lot of weight lost in the first couple weeks.
On the other hand, this can be a very stressful way to start losing weight. The diet becomes the center of our lives and almost every moment seems to be spent buying, preparing or planning our food. If we eat something that was not on the plan, we panic. Sometimes we make this an excuse for dropping out completely.
If this has often happened to you in the past, why not try a different method? Instead of starting with a two-week crash diet or induction period, try changing one thing at a time. This will slowly ease you into your new way of eating.
If you choose this method, you could start the first 3-4 days by simply drinking enough water. Aim for at least two liters (approx 64 oz, or 8 x 8 oz glasses). That's not including other drinks - just pure water.
Then plan your breakfast in line with your eating plan. So at the end of two weeks, you are having enough water plus a healthy breakfast each day.
After that, look at your snacks. It's good to eat little and often when losing weight, so plan 2 or 3 snacks in a day and make sure that you have healthy food available for those snacks.
Then you can move on to lunch, and finally dinner.
This way, you don't make a big deal out of the fact that you are trying to lose weight. Your friends and family will probably not even notice. The weight loss could creep up on you without you hardly noticing yourself!
