6 Tips To Shed Those Unwanted Pounds And Stick To It
by Tabitha Stuart
Getting started on your weight loss journey can be difficult. The only thing that is more difficult is sticking to it. Some diet and fitness programs are so complicated and time consuming they are impossible to stick to. No matter what your weight loss goals are these 6 simple tips will help you reach your weight loss goals and stick to your program.
1. Water Water Water! People just don’t seem to understand how essential it is to stay hydrated. Approximately 80% of Americans live in a constant state of dehydration. Not only can this cause medical problems, but your body will hold every ounce of fluid it can get. So I recommend 64 ounces or more of plain ice water everyday. Adding a lemon wedge is fine and lemon is a natural diuretic, BUT NOTHING ELSE!
2. Portion Control is key. Even if you are eating valuable foods you can still consume excess calories. My rule of thumb is use a 9 inch dinner plate and imagine it is divided into 4 equal sections. One section would be your lean protein like fish or chicken, one would be your whole grain such as brown rice, and the other two would be produce such as steamed veggies. This works well for most dishes and makes it simple to visualize proper portions.
3. Don’t try to completely give up your favorite foods. Many people have trouble sticking to a program because they convince themselves that they can never have pizza or cake again. You should think of losing weight not as a diet but as a life style change. Therefor, it must be livable and realistic. If you go to a party, have a piece of cake. If you are really craving pizza, have a slice or two and a salad with lite dressing. If you go into knowing that you can enjoy your favorite foods from time to time you will have much more success and prevent binge eating.
4. Do something active everyday. Even if your busy you have to make time for yourself to do something active. Even if there are some days you just don’t have 30 minutes or an hour to work out. It may only be 15 minutes some days, or 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night, or on your lunch break. Pop in your favorite CD and dance or walk stairs, anything that gets your body moving.
5. Keep a food Journal. This can seem like a daunting task, but it is extremely important, especially in the beginning until you adjust and develop new eating habits. A simple notebook small enough to carry with you is fine. Just jot down everything you put in your mouth. You will find yourself resisting eating a handful of potato chips simply because you don’t want to write it in the journal! Also, if you have a week that you don’t lose weight or worse, you gain, you can look in your journal and compare what you ate that week to the weeks that you lost weight.
6. Include your family. It is important to talk to your family about the efforts you are making to live a healthier lifestyle. You can easily make the meals you normally eat with your family healthier by simply using a different cooking method or by making some minor swaps for example: replace white rice with brown rice, use olive oil instead of other oils, grill, broil, or bake your meat, replace pasta with whole grain pasta, and make your own potato wedges by cutting potatoes into wedges and tossing them with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Spread them on a cookie sheet and bake them.
If you make these 6 simple changes in your life style, you will be well on your way to weight loss success.
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