The Painful Diet - How to Avoid It

Everyone who needs to lose weight, whether it is 10 pounds or 100 pounds, hates to diet. The word 'diet' conjures images of being starved and never again being able to eat foods that you love. However, that doesn't stop anyone from trying every weight loss program that catches the eye.

Weight loss programs that sound too-good-to-be-true are just that. If you have ever fallen for one of the plans with wild claims of 'lose 40 pounds a month, eat all you want with no exercise required' then you know what I'm talking about. I would guess you were more than a little surprised that 'eat all you want' consisted of lettuce and green beans.

Be honest with yourself; at the end of the day if you are faint from lack of nutrition and feel like you could eat your own shoe, then this particular weight loss program will not work for any period of time.

Diets that are 'painful' are the ones that leave you feeling starved 24 hours a day. No one will 'last' very long on this type of program. Successful dieters find that the best programs for weight loss let them see results rather quickly at the onset, and they are not too painful.

Lets assume that you have chosen to follow a sensible weight loss program that includes the switch to healthy foods and healthy cooking habits, but you are still plagued with hunger pangs throughout the day.

First of all, think about what you were eating before starting this program. You probably ate mostly at night in front of the TV and the snacks were high in carbs and fat with literally no nutritional value.

You are disrupting your body clock with healthy foods. From habit your body is saying 'I'm hungry, feed me junk', while in reality you are not hungry. Your body and brain need time to adjust to new and better eating habits.

Whether or not you are 'really' hungry is a moot point - you feel hungry. The trick is to get past the first two or three weeks of the program while the body and brain are being retrained.

While there are no 'miracle products' that will make you skinny overnight, there are natural products available that can help you immensely during those first two or three weeks that the brain and body are coming to grips with the new way of eating.

These weight loss supplements can help to curb the appetite, and some also offer a boost in energy levels. The good products are all natural and do not contain caffeine or ephedrine.

When delving into diet supplements it is wise to trust an expert in product selection. Some are 'scams', or 'fake', and the untrained person will not be able to differentiate between a good product and a 'fake' product.

It is recommended that a person speak with a medical professional before taking any supplements. People with existing medical conditions should never take any type of supplement or product without first talking to their doctor.

As with anything else, if you begin taking a supplement and have negative side effects then stop taking it.

The intent of weight loss supplements is to be used as an aid to a sensible diet. Some choose to take them for the first month or so of a diet, others take them longer. As long as the person is healthy and has no side effects these supplements do not pose a health risk if taken for extended periods of time.