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A recent article in The New York Times brought up a very important point (and one often ignored by fans of “instant gratification”) – getting the results you want takes times. Sounds profound, doesn’t it? In fact, it may take a LOT of time to reach your goal weight, or to feel comfortable and confident in your swim suit.
Discouraged? Don’t be. It’s tough when you watch weekly episodes of The Biggest Loser and see contestants losing massive amounts of weight each week. Remember, these individuals are under medical supervision, do many hours of physical activity each day and have a team of dietitians assisting with meal plans designed to facilitate weight loss. It doesn’t help either that book shelves are lined with titles that claim you can achieve the body of your dreams in as little as 4 mins per day, or with as few as 6 exercises performed twice per week. Boy, wouldn’t that be nice? And what about teas that supposedly burn fat? And, the countless number of pills, potions, and cleansing products that promise quick and permanent weight loss – they all sound wonderful, don’t they? Too good to be true? Why, yes. For the average Joe (yes, that is you), 1-2 lbs of weight loss per week is typical, and healthy.
Did you sit down on Dec. 31st and write down a list of health and fitness goals for 2009? Are you already frustrated with your results, or worse, given up on achieving them? Read Gina Kolata’s article, then go grab your list and get back to work. You CAN do it – it just takes time