The body is a complex piece of machinery. There are hundreds of processes already happening in your body right now without your permission, so when you introduce something new, it takes a while for your body to adjust. That is true of any new habit, including weight loss. Here are a few weight loss tips to get your body used to your new lifestyle right away.
When eating on a diet, focus on the conscious enjoyment of your food. When you eat mindlessly, it’s easy to lose track of how much you’ve eaten and to quickly forget what you ate. By focusing on what you eat, you are aware of everything that goes into your mouth, you get full faster, and you feel full longer.
If you’re having trouble losing weight, try eating small portions throughout the day. Fruit is nature’s gift and make the perfect low-calorie snack between meals. Snacking on unprocessed food will allow your body to take advantage of easily metabolized natural sugars. It will give you energy between meals and prevent you from overeating at meal times.
Eat less, but do it in a different way! You don’t want to let yourself get hungry or you may slip off your diet. A great way to do this is to eat several small meals throughout your day. It may feel like you are eating more, but in fact you are helping to keep your metabolism steady. As long as the small meals are healthy, you will be just fine.
Continue eating foods you love, even sugar-filled, fattening foods, in moderation when trying to lose weight. When you completely deny yourself your favorite foods, you are more likely to end up binging. This leads to more calories eaten than if you just occasionally indulged in your favorite fattening foods.
If you’re looking to lose weight one of the most important things to have is patience. You are not going to lose it all overnight. It will take months of dedication, watching what you eat and building an exercise regiment, to stand a chance of success. So, set up a plan that will get you there over the long term. Weight loss is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but eating a larger breakfast can help you lose weight. Start your day off right with an egg-white omelet or whole-wheat toast with peanut butter. When you eat more calories before noon, you reduce hunger levels later in the day. The bigger breakfast you eat, the less you will over-eat later on.
Use cinnamon instead of sugar. Fruits can get a little boring after a while. Before you give in and go after a more sugary dessert, give cinnamon a try. Put a little cinnamon on your fruit before eating it. It changes things up a bit and is a delicious alternative to sugar.
One of the best and most effective ways to keep yourself motivated is to regularly document your progress, even if it is slower than you’d like. Once or twice per month, jot down the results of your body measurements, BMI, or bench press and compare them against your end goal. This holds you accountable and provides the motivation needed to reach your goal.
Keep in mind you did not gain all of the unwanted weight in a day, and you cannot expect to lose it quickly either. It is important to establish realistic expectations for your weight loss, and just stick to you plan day by day. As time passes and the weight comes off you will begin to look and feel fabulous.
Skipping meals is a dangerous habit that will easily thwart your weight loss goals. Skipping a meal might seem like an easy way to cut down on calorie intake, but your body will subconsciously make up for the missed calories and you’ll end up eating far too much during your next meal.
Instead of ice cream or popsicles during the summer months, freeze some grapes. They are a sweet snack that you can enjoy anytime to cool you down. No need to de-stem them, just throw directly in the freezer after purchase and pick off a handful or two when you feel the need for a cool snack.
When trying to lose weight, consumer egg white omelets for breakfast. Throw in some veggies like onions, spinach, bell peppers or broccoli. You can include some low-fat cheese, but stay away from full-fat versions. Eggs are good for controlling hunger so that you will stay fuller longer
When you browse the supermarket for healthy food to help you drop weight, make sure you beware of products advertised as “light.” While these products may indeed have less fat or less sugar than the “regular” versions of that brand, low fat does not translate to low calories. Calories are the most important nutrients to measure in your weight loss strategy.
Eat cereal for breakfast at least 4 times a week. Studies have shown that those who eat a healthy, low calorie and high fiber cereal 5 times a week lose more weight than those who do not. This is an simple way to lose weight. Avoid high sugar cereals as they do not improve weight loss.
If you’re trying to lose weight, try to avoid foods like fried potatoes, garlic bread, and other fatty high calorie sides. Instead, replace them with healthy vegetables like corn, steamed broccoli, peas, or other vegetables. Sides that are just there for filler can sometimes have almost as many calories as the main course!
As you continue to work on your weight loss, your body will start to cooperate. And as your body starts to cooperate and you start to lose weight, you’ll be excited to keep going and lose even more weight. Use these tips to get your mind and body in sync and watch the weight come off.
