Photo by Siora Photography

By: Amy Jones

Not medically reviewed by Dr. Erin Stair

Reaching your ideal weight is not something that can be done overnight or even something that can be rushed in a few weeks (unless you don’t need to lose very much weight to get there, of course). It’s something that you need to take your time with, celebrating the small victories when they come and not beating yourself up over the small failures either. 

 Equally, you need to lose weight for the right reasons; you need to lose weight for yourself. Doing it for anyone else will mean you’re not really engaged with the idea, and it will be a lot more hard work than it needs to be. 

 With these things in mind, if you’re ready to start your weight loss journey, you’ll always have plenty of support; here are some useful things to know before you start if you are intent on reaching a healthy weight.

Fad Diets Do Not Work 

There are dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of different fad diets out there for you to choose from. They range from the idea that you should eat just one type of food, to blending all your meals up, to cutting out an entire food group, and much more. But the truth is that none of these diets are going to work for the long term. Even if you do lose weight – perhaps a lot of weight – by doing them, it’s not healthy to continue in the same vein for the rest of your life, and that means at some point you’ll go back to eating normal food in a normal way. At this point, most people find that they put weight back on again. 

 The best thing you can do, which is something that every weight loss expert such as Dr. Dorian Wilkerson will agree with, is to cut down your portion sizes, eat a balanced diet, and exercise. This is something you can keep up for the rest of your life, so once you lose weight, you can keep it off. 

 Weight Is Not As Important As You Think 

Your weight is important, and trying to reach a healthy ideal weight is something you should certainly try to do if possible. However, the media would have you believe that weight is the be-all-and-end-all of things, when in fact, it’s not. 

Larger people can be healthy. Smaller, slimmer people, can be unfit. So although weight does certainly play a part in things, you need to factor in a lot of other things too. You can be overweight and healthy. You can be big but strong. In other words, your weight by itself does not give anyone – including you – a full picture of your health. Keep this in mind and check out other factors such as your speed, your endurance, and your general health (how often you become unwell) too. 

 Your Mindset Impacts Your Results 

Having a positive mindset can make a huge difference when you’re trying to lose weight. If you tell yourself that you’ll never manage it, that one piece of cake won’t hurt, that you’ll try again tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow… then you won’t get the results you want. 

 If, however, you tell yourself that you can do it, that an apple is better than a cookie, that you must exercise every day no matter what, you are much more likely to succeed. Getting your mind in the right place before you start to lose weight is crucial for success.