What is the fastest way to jumpstart a diet?!
 

Hello new here and really want to get some fast results and continue ... I exercise 5-6 days a week and watch what I eat and can't seem to lose !! So I thought if someone had a quick start diet they wanted to share it would help me . Something you do for 2 weeks then move on to a more reasonable diet . I am so darn discouraged I need some instant gratification - help!
TIA
mary:(

I have felt like that in the past. I have never been one of those people who can start a program and instantly drop 5+ pounds. In fact, I am more likely to start something, and hold steady for the first few weeks. That has caused me to give up in the past. This time, I have decided to make healthy changes whether the gratification is there or not. I am not just trying to make the scale numbers go down, I am trying to improve my life, and if I keep working, that will happen slowly. Good luck to you on your journey!

I think the "jump start" actually sends us down the wrong road. Any diet that delivers quick weight loss is a crash diet. Starting a weight loss journey with a crash diet can pull us into crazy diet thinking. Even if we planned on it being temporary, if it works, it's hard to give up in favor of a more sensible, healthier approach. If we find we can't stick to the crash diet, we experience feelings of failure and discouragement.

I think if you feel you need to see the weight come of quickly in order to feel successful, you may be setting yourself up for failure, before you even begin.

Hello and welcome to 3FC.

There's no need to "jump start" a "diet" if you're looking to continue on with it, IMO. You need to find something that you can do longterm. Cause once you stop one of these diets, or any diet for that matter, chances are you go back to your old ways and wind up gaining the weight right back.

So for me, it was realizing that I needed to make a permenant change. And however long it takes, it takes.

Something that jumps out at me from your post is that you say you've been watching what you're eating. For me, watching what I ate never worked. I needed to actually plan, track and count every calorie that goes in my mouth. "Watching" myself was not enough restriction for me. You'd be surprised just how those calories can sneak up on you and add up.

Maybe you'd like to start monitoring exactly how many calories you are consuming. This way you will know if you are indeed consuming too many to achieve a deficit. Fitday.com is a free on line calorie counter that can help you.

We didn't gain the weight over night, and we sure as heck are not going to take it off over night. Weight loss is definitely not an instant gratifaction type thing. Following a good, healthy eating plan along with adding in some physical activity, things you can maintain for a lifetime - is sure to get you the results that you are after. The only way to "speed it up" is to be consistient. Find the healthy plan that's right for you and then stick to it like glue.

Good luck to you. :)