Weight Loss Information

Determine Your Stage and Plot Your Weight Loss Course

Medifast Offer (US) Lose weight with Medifast Diet - Two weeks Free Food Offer

HoodiaMaxx Free Trial
Drop 25 lbs in 25 days - $1 Offer plus S&H.
Buy Hoodia Gordonii at Discount Price
Ready to buy - Discount Offer, Hoodia Gordonii for Weight loss - International Shipping Available.

We all know that losing weight and improving your overall fitness are things that don't happen overnight. But, did you know in order to be truly successful that important steps need to be taken before you even start a diet or exercise program? The first thing you should do is identify where you fall on the behavioral change spectrum. There are five distinct stages of behavioral change. Do you know what stage you currently fall under?

Knowing what stage you are at will help you to create a road map to the subsequent stages and ultimately help you to be successful in your fitness goals. Below are the five major phases.

  • Precontemplation: This is the point where you don't feel that any change in your lifestyle is necessary. You may be thinking that exercising just takes too much time or that fast food is just too convenient to even consider giving up. Starting a fitness or diet program during this stage would probably result in failure. The best thing you can do during this phase is educate yourself further about health, diseases and risks.

  • Contemplation: During this stage you may start thinking that a change is necessary. So, you think that maybe cutting back to eating fast food only three times a week is not so bad and you might be able to at least take a walk once in awhile. This is a good time to learn more about the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise.

  • Preparation: At this point you are getting more serious about taking action. You've penciled in a walk with your friend for next week and are planning to go grocery shopping to cook a home meal. You may want to research exercise equipment, gyms, personal trainers, and diet programs to learn more about what you can do (with the help of professionals and/or equipment) to get in better shape.

  • Action: Here's where you actually take the first step. The first step may be as simple as taking a daily walk, reducing your fast food visits to twice a month or just cutting back on daily sodas. Or, you may go as far as hiring a personal trainer or joining a gym. During this stage it is very important to learn coping mechanisms that will help you avoid re-lapse into your old ways. One way to avoid being a part of the high exercise dropout statistics is starting slowly into a new program and making permanent lifestyle changes versus temporary ones.

  • Maintenance: This is, of course, the phase that everyone should strive to be at. This means that you have been doing a regular fitness program consistently for quite some time and that you continue your new lifestyle. It's important throughout this stage (which should last a lifetime) that you include a variety of workouts that change frequently. You should also seek social support of friends and family.

    So, now can you identify what stage you are at? You may find that you are in the precontemplation stage for nutritional habits but that you are in the preparation stage for exercises. That's okay. It's not critical for you to force both areas into the same stage. You can work on changing your nutritional and exercise habits separately.

    The key to success is first identifying your stage and then taking steps to advance to the next level (unless, of course, you are already at the Maintenance stage). Use the suggestions mentioned above in each stage to help you move to the next phase.

    For example, if you are in the precontemplation stage, then research and read as much as you can on the subject of health risks and how they relate to an individual's lifestyle. From there you will probably want to learn more about the consequences and benefits of specific lifestyles. Education is a powerful thing. The more you fully understand and can relate directly to the causes and effects of your action, the more inclined you will be to change.

    It's also important to tune-in to your fears, past struggles and expectations. Making nutritional and exercise changes is not easy and should be approached slowly. Remember to make small changes. Don't try to go from a completely sedentary lifestyle to an hour of continual exercise in just one day. Build up slowly starting with even just 10 minutes. And lastly, be sure to inform your family and friends of your plans and enlist their support. Support is extremely important for your success.

    About The Author

    Lynn Bode, author and certified personal trainer, offers her services online through WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You provides affordable online exercise programs to help even the busiest of people lose weight, tone-up, build muscles, increase stamina and more via the Internet. Let us guide you one-on-one through your fitness journey with weekly customized workouts designed just for YOU! Visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com for a free sample workout.

    info@workoutsforyou.com


    MORE RESOURCES:

    Weight loss revolution a lifestyle change
    The Saginaw News - MLive.com, MI - 1 hour ago
    By October 2005, Garth was back on TV announcing a 55-pound weight loss. She's since dropped almost 30 more for a total loss of 85 pounds from the 200 ...


    Gorilla Zoe Begins Weight Loss Challenge
    HipHopDX, CA - 37 minutes ago
    In honor of the release of his sophomore album Don't Feed Da Animals, Atlanta rapper Gorilla Zoe is embarking on a 12-week weight loss challenge also ...


    FatExcuses.com Announces Free Weight Loss Tracker and Ability to ...
    PR Web (press release), WA - 8 hours ago
    FatExcuses.com, a website for people who want to lose weight and monitor their diet progress, now offers one of the most comprehensive Free Weight Loss ...


    Ricki Lake Loses 130lbs And Reveals Weight Loss Secrets
    Post Chronicle - 3 hours ago
    by Jack Ryan Actress and talk show host Ricki Lake recently had something interesting to say about the extra fat she carried around herself. ...
    Slimmed Down Ricki Lake 'Can't Believe' She Was Fat News4Jax.com
    all 8 news articles


    Revolutionary New Diet Aid for Weight Loss
    PR Web (press release), WA - 8 hours ago
    A new diet aid has been released to stop mindless snacking and achieve the long-term weight loss results that will lead to a healthier lifestyle. ...


    Bariatric Surgery May Resolve Liver Disease
    Science Daily (press release) - 1 hour ago
    Bariatric surgery has become a popular and effective method for rapid and permanent significant weight loss in morbidly obese individuals. ...


    Weight loss cuts risk of eye disease
    NDTV.com, India - Nov 29, 2008
    People who lose weight, particularly those who are obese, can decrease their odds of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of ...


    Nutrition Not Another Resolution: Nutrition for You launches its ...
    PR Web (press release), WA - Nov 28, 2008
    Advanced online weight management service Nutrition for You and Nu4You.net announces its New Year's Weight Loss Challenge. The event is a healthy, ...


    Over-the-Phone Weight Loss Counseling Works
    U.S. News & World Report, DC - Nov 26, 2008
    26 (HealthDay News) -- Telephone counseling may be as effective as face-to-face counseling in helping people maintain weight loss, researchers report. ...


    Weight Loss Blog Week 2: Surviving The Holidays
    TheDenverChannel.com, CO - Nov 26, 2008
    'Tis the season to overindulge. Thanksgiving to New Year's can be a five-week challenge to your dieting willpower and your commitment to working out. ...

    Weight-Loss - Google News

  • Weight Loss | Weight Loss Diet | Weight Loss Diet Pills | Weight Loss Blog | Weight Loss Articles | SiteMap
    Diet Pills: Diet Pills | Hoodia | Phentermine | Prescription Diet Pills
    Diet Plans: Diet Plan | Medifast | High Fiber Diet | High Protein Diet