Twice this week I have had very similar conversations with two different people regarding their weight loss struggles. The both expressed their frustration with the numbers on the scale, and their inability to cause those numbers to decrease. Additionally, they commented on how those numbers were constantly fluctuating, but never leading to lasting weight loss. They both exercise, and claim to follow a restrictive diet – but what exactly does that mean? The best way to reduce the weight is the consumption of the resurge pills. The purchase through the patients should be done after checking the resurge customer reviews. The pills should react positively with the body of the person. There will be minimum side-effects on the body of the person. 

Digging a little deeper, we discussed in detail their daily food intake, and I was surprised to discover how varied and unstructured their diets were. Both of these women were trying to lose weight while still eating fast food, snacking on their kids’ lunches, and cooking elaborate gourmet meals for the family. What is the common denominator here? They both lack a definitive plan for approaching their nutrition goals that would clearly and concisely outline their meals for the day, thus eliminating the extra options that were leading to the stalled scale digits. You cannot lose weight and eat out every day. That is simply the way it is. So you have to choose, do you want to modify your diet, or do you want to continue to fail in your weight loss goals? In order to achieve lasting, permanent weight loss, you MUST have a “game plan”. I do not believe that which plan you choose to follow is as critical as how strongly you adhere to it. Low carb diets, low fat diets, restricted calorie diets, high protein diets – they all work on a different premise, but they are all aimed at achieving the same goal -weight loss. And they all provide the means for reaching that goal by also providing the “game plan”. Your “game plan” is the carefully calculated avenue that you have planned out and are going to follow in order to reach your goals. That “game plan” should include how many calories you plan to consume in a day, in what ratios you plan to consume those calories (for example, how often you plan to eat, what your carb/protein/fat ratios are, etc.), and – most importantly – what foods you are going to consume in order to fulfill those daily caloric requirements. All calories are NOT created equal. Watching your sodium and sugar intake are also crucial to weight loss. Choosing to fulfill your daily intake of fats with a chocolate bar is not going to suffice. Choosing to obtain your protein from a chicken breast smothered in cheese or breaded and fried is not going to work. Meeting your carbohydrate intake with refined sugars is not a viable option. Your food choices will indicate your degree of weight loss. It’s that important.

The single most effective tool you have in following your eating plan, once you have chosen it, is a food diary. The second most effective tool in your weight loss repertoire is meal planning. Decide each and every day, or on one day at the beginning of the week, exactly what you are going to consume for each meal of each day. However, the meals that are planned must fit within the structure of your “game plan” in order to aid the weight loss process. Again, choosing healthy, low-sodium, low sugar alternatives are of the utmost importance. As I said, you cannot lose weight and eat out every day, so that means that you must plan your meals, and then you must plan to take them with you. Not only does this save money, but planning out your meals and snacks, and then taking them with you, is just as convenient as stopping at the nearest fast food joint – possibly more so because you already have you food with you. No stopping required! After you have planned your meals and prepared them for the day or the week, then record every single morsel of food that you ingest in your diary, at least in the beginning. I have kept a food diary for years, and I still keep one. It keeps me accountable, and when I do occasionally come across those times when I am required to eat without planning it out first, I can still adhere to my caloric and nutrition goals. Additionally, if I start to slack off on my diet, but I’ve recorded everything, I can simply go back to my previous meals plans and begin following them again to reorient myself with my goals.

So do the research, and choose whichever diet plan best fits in with your personal and nutritional goals. Then, follow your “game plan” in a controlled, structured and organized manner, and I believe that you will achieve your goals of lasting weight loss. It may not always be easy, but it will always be worth it.