Take a quick look at the weight loss section in any bookstore, or glance over the internet, and you will find any number of books and articles that claim different ways to lose weight quickly and effortlessly. You likely have realized, however, that fad diets simply don’t work. But what does?
A good way to lose weight is to put up motivational pictures of the body you want to look like, around your house. It’s very easy to lose motivation when trying to lose weight, but by having pictures readily available you’ll be more likely to keep up with your weight loss plans.
Make small changes to your meals for big results. Have your sandwich in a mini pita pocket instead of two slices of bread, use 2% milk instead of regular for your coffee or cereal, avoid the ice cream and keep fruit in the house for dessert . These are all small ways to cut calories without changing your life around.
A good way to lose weight is to sign up for a weekly workout session. A monetary commitment will provide you with the motivation you need to attend your session, and training with a group can also inspire you to work harder. Many gyms offer discounts on first time customers, so you can shop around to find a good deal.
If you’re trying to lose weight, and are constantly hungry, you need to arm yourself with healthy, low-fat snack choices. Carrots and celery are always mentioned, and they’re fine, but what if you want carbs? Choose healthy carbs such as nonfat (air-popped) popcorn with no salt. You can pop a huge bag of it, munch away along with a huge glass of water, and feel nice and full with no damage to your waistline.
It is hard to find someone who does not love the taste of french fries. Unfortunately, these foods can be the downfall in a weight loss program. Thankfully, you don’t have to completely eliminate french fries from your life. Instead of ordering them from your favorite fast food place, bake them yourself at home. Cut these fries into half the size, add some salt and bake them on a single layer sheet for about half an hour. Release with your spatula, turn it over, then bake for an additional 10 minutes. These fries are great with catsup and contain far fewer calories than their deep-fried counterparts. These “French Bakes” are courtesy Laurel’s Kitchen cookbook.
Avoid carbohydrates when you are trying to lose weight. Carbs are cheap and tasty, but not really healthy or nourishing. It takes the digestive system a long time to process carbs, so long that a great deal of the potential energy in carbohydrate-rich food is converted directly into fat instead of being burned usefully.
Getting enough rest and relaxation is, surprisingly, very helpful when trying to lose weight. A common reaction among people when they are stressed is to eat or drink more–it can give a sense of well-being or a “reward” for accomplishing tasks. Getting enough rest and doing something enjoyable to relax can be substituted as a reward. It is more satisfying in the long run than eating something and it’s fat free!
Weight loss is often about making mindful eating choices. One of the best ways to be mindful about eating is to be mindful about where you eat. Eat at a table, with silverware and a napkin. This sounds so basic, and yet so many people eat mindlessly, standing at a counter or in front of the fridge or the TV. But if you restrict where you eat to the table, you are compelled to be more mindful about where and when you eat, which will automatically limit the amount of mindless eating you do.
Night snacking is one of the easiest ways to gain weight. In order to lose weight, you don’t want to eat late at night. All the calories just stay on you, and you don’t have a good chance of burning them off. Try to stop eating three hours before you go to sleep.
Sleep is one of the most important things to get for weight loss. When you sleep, your body is able to reconstruct so that you can function at a normal level the next day. Aim for at least eight hours of sleep per day to give your body the chance to function properly.
Some dieters go the extra mile when changing their lifestyle and purchase exercise equipment. However, there’s currently a debate about which is better for you, an exercise bike or a treadmill. Hands down, a treadmill is a better buy. You can set it on incline, walk, or run, and you can work your arms simultaneously while still remaining comfortable.
Volunteer work can not only help you feel better about yourself, but it can also keep you active and help you to lose weight. Going to a soup kitchen or volunteering to help clean up the side of the road, can be a very rewarding process, in more ways than one. Every town or city has plenty of volunteer opportunities.
Breaking up your meals into five to eight smaller meals a day instead of three larger meals a day is an integral part of success in weight loss. This is because your metabolism is continuously working to break down food and as such has the effect of increasing your base metabolic rate and making it easier to burn calories.
If a diet sounds too good to be true, it often is. So steer clear of fad diets and pills, and apply instead the tips and suggestions presented here in this article. They have worked for countless people who have been able to take weight off, and keep it off.
