There are a lot of free weight loss plans out there. Before selecting free weight loss plans for your self, go through the check list below to ascertain if it allows you to lose weight correctly. Correct weight loss is when you are able to achieve sustainable and healthy weight loss. The weight loss should come entirely from losing fat and not losing muscles or water.
1. Can you do it forever
The free weight loss plan should be something that you can do forever. It should not be a temporary solution. There are stop-gap measures such as low carb diets and all the other millions of diets out there. But these diets always cause weight gain when you come off them.
2. Must be a holistic solution
The solution for weight loss is a healthy lifestyle. A healthy life style is a holistic solution for weight loss. You need to consider healthy nutrition, supplementation, exercise, motivation, education, adequate sleep, correct measurement of results and a host of other factors. Weight loss plans that only focus on exercise or nutrition cannot provide a long term solution. As an example, you can get short term weight loss by brute exercise but you cannot sustain it if you are lacking sleep.
3. Provides Basic Education
A weight loss plan must provide some fundamental education about weight loss. Without fundamental weight loss education, you will never be able to sustain it. By having a basic understanding of why you are doing what you are doing, there is more focus and commitment. Discipline becomes effortless when there is a deeper understanding.
4. Sets realistic expectations
The program must set realistic expectations. Healthy weight loss is limited to losing 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week, at the most. At this rate, all of the weight loss comes from fat loss. Anymore than this and you could be losing muscles and fat. When you lose too much muscles, rebound weight gain is inevitable.
5. Should not promote starvation
Some free weight loss plans have drastic calorie reductions. You can definitely lose weight with a drastic calorie reduction but the weight loss is not sustainable. Drastic calorie reduction activates the starvation response. When this happens, your body holds on to your fat stores tighter than ever.
6. Should not exclude any macronutrients
The nutrition plan should not omit any macro nutrients. It should instead include quality macronutrients. In other words, it should promote complex cabohydrates rather than no-carbs or low-carbs. It should promote good-fats rather than no-fats or low fats.
7. Should not focus on weight
A good program should focus on body dimensions or body fat measurements. Weight measurements can be misleading. While you are looking for weight loss, it must be correct weight loss. In other words, the weight loss must come from losing fat and not muscles or water. The weight scales cannot measure this.
8. Should have a nutrition plan that is based on healthy eating
It is always easy to lose weight by removing carbohydrates. But how long can you go on doing that. You should instead be educated to eating a healthy diet. As an example, learn to eat complex carbohydrates instead of no-carbohydrates. You can never gain weight on a healthy diet. How much of fruits and vegetables can you eat anyway?
9. Should include basic supplementation
Supplements are necessary in current times as a form of nutritional insurance. The body is made up of so many complex processes that the smallest lack of a nutrient can throw the metabolism into disarray.
10. Must include exercise
Any weight loss plan that does not include exercise is a short term solution. Sustainable weight loss is not achievable without exercise.
Good free weight loss plans should be in compliance with the above guidelines. If these guidelines are not followed, reevaluate if you want to embark on that free weight loss plan. You could lose weight, but it might all come back on with a vengeance.
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