Rule 5: It's not just what you eat that counts

Weight gain isn't a sign that we have been eating the wrong food; it is a sign that we have been eating too much food.

The great news about this is that we don't need to all start eating lettuce to lose weight; we just may need to cut down a little on the foods we enjoy each day. 

Rule 6: Keeping your metabolism up

Muscle and activity keep our metabolism up which is why weight training to build or maintain our muscle mass and aerobic activity like walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are so important to those of us wanting to lose weight

Dieting alone is not the best route to weight loss and to staying in an ideal weight range.

To lose weight safely and keep it off for as long as possible, always combine dieting and exercise.

Rule 7: You won't continue to eat foods you don't like

Most diets fail because they require us to eat plenty of foods we don't actually like.

If we don't like what we're eating we're not going to stick with our diet for more than a week or two.

The key to successful dieting is to reduce the amount we eat and introduce healthier and lower calorie options of the foods we like gradually into our diet over time.

Rule 8: Watch what you drink as well as eat

Almost everything we drink, except water, has calories in it.

Drinks highest in calories are typically sodas, colas and alcoholic drinks.

If we usually drink a lot of any of these high calorie drinks, it may be them and not what we're eating that is causing us to get fat.

Rule 9: Avoid extremes of any kind

Balance is not only the key to a happy, healthy life; it is also the key to a healthy diet and dieting.

Be weary of any diets that completely cut out some foods or food groups or that severely limit some foods or food groups, for example very low or no- carb diets.

Diets that are extreme in one way or another are likely to be very unhealthy at best and very dangerous to our health at worst.

Rule 10: Get Help

If you have a lot of weight to lose, you've got a better chance of success if you get help.

If your weight is affecting your health to such an extent that it is or is becoming life-threatening or is leading to you suffering from weight related diseases like type-2 diabetes, seek medical help from a doctor or professional help from a dietician or another suitably qualified health care professional to lose weight immediately.

Even if your weight isn't directly affecting your health now, it is a great idea to get help in your battle against the bulge from professionals like dieticians, personal trainers, gyms, psychologists (overeating is often caused by emotional factors) or weight loss program providers and other weight loss specialists.

In addition to getting professional help, non-professional help, support and encouragement is also vital in improving your chances of dieting success.

For this type of help turn to friends, family and the support of other people with similar weight related goals, such as those that can be found on weight loss forums like the one on weightloss.com.au.

Good luck with your weight loss and remember that if you keep in mind the ten golden rules of dieting you are sure to be a dieting success story in the making.

by Scott Haywood - 26 Mar 2009

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