Weight Loss Tips
There are three important facts :
The first step is to build a positive attitude and refine your thoughts about diet and fitness. Diet and exercise are both important, but diet is a lot more important than exercise, because it is far easy to eat a lot of calories but it is difficult to lose the same amount of calories by exercise. Your mind controls your dietary craving. You should focus your mind to eat less and resist temptations.
Tips for the mind :
Be positive and make a plan :
First decide if you really want to lose weight. How important is it to you, in a scale of 1 to 10? If it is really important and you are serious, you will do it. Make a plan which should be practical. Understand the facts about calories, diet, exercise, BMI and fitness. This website helps you to understand the facts and to make a plan. Have a positive attitude. Make a plan, set a goal and timeline. Be practical and consistent.
Find good reasons to lose weight :
Find out what motivates you. It could be anything- wanting to fit into your favorite dress again, lose weight to feel better and look better or be healthy. Find out what inspires you and why do you want to lose weight? Do it for that reason. Do it for your self.
Educate yourself, understand and plan :
Understand the principles of diet, calories, and exercise. Make a plan that is healthy, practical, balanced and customized to your taste and lifestyle.
Visualize yourself thin :
Visualize success. When you visualize yourself as a thin person, your subconscious mind will influence your actions and you will exercise to lose weight. If you want to be thin, picture yourself thin. Visualization influences your mind and your mind controls your actions. Think about things you would like to do but can’t do because of your weight. Visualize how you will look when you will lose weight and fit in to your favorite dress.
Set Realistic Goals - Resolve to Lose Weight Slowly :
Successful weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, it takes months and not days. Don’t put unreasonable pressure on yourself. Be sure your goals are realistic. Resolve to lose slowly. Set short term goals. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. There’s no use in trying to reach a 50 lb per month. Losing 1 to 2 pounds a week is a healthy way to lose weight. Losing weight more rapidly means losing muscle tissue and losing muscle tissue means slow metabolism.
Reward Yourself :
Rewarding yourself for sticking to your weight loss program is a good way to keep yourself motivated. Reward yourself when you accomplish your short term goals, but not with food. You might buy a new book, a new dress or go for a massage. When you reach your target weight reward yourself with something bigger like a vacation or a cruise.
Surround yourself with positive people :
Surround yourself with positive people who believe in you, support, encourage and motivate you to achieve your target weight.
Don’t follow fixated “diets” as they don’t work :
Many specific fixated “diets” fail in the long-term. Most diets focus on weight loss rather than fat loss. Losing weight more rapidly means losing muscle tissue which is body’s major fat burning component. Change the way you eat and CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK. On most of the diets, you are not eating stuff you will be eating for the rest of your life. You might lose a few pounds but once your diet is over, then you will most likely regain all of your weight again and chances are they’ll bring a few pounds extra too.
Peace of mind is important. The stress hormones cause cravings for high sugar and high fat foods.
Diet – top ten tips :
Portion control :
It is extremely important to control your portion sizes. You don’t have to stick to a “fixated diet” and you can eat your favorite food if you learn to control portion size effectively. The total amount of calories you consume is what matters for your weight loss and learning how to control them makes the difference. If you are overweight, you have to change the way you eat.
Eat fruits and vegetables :
Fruits and vegetables are high fiber foods and packed with vitamins and antioxidants. They are low in calories but high in fiber. Fiber is very important for your weight loss goals. Fiber is digested slower, keeps us feeling fuller longer and releases its energy slower which keep our blood sugar levels even and helps us avoid cravings. Increase your intake of fiber rich foods.
Eat Negative calorie food :
Negative calorie foods are foods, which use more calories to digest than the calories the foods actually contain. For example, if you eat 200 calories of a food that requires 250 calories to digest, then you’ve burnt an additional 50 calories simply by eating that food. Some of the negative calorie foods are: Apples, Broccoli, Cantaloupes, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery stalk, Celery root.
Increase your protein intake :
Protein makes us feel full. It is also important in replacing and building muscle tissue. Remember, more muscles burn more fat. It helps to increase your metabolism which burns calories.
Switch from regular soda to water or diet soda :
Don’t add sugar to coffee or tea. Instead, use sugar substitutes like splenda or a sugar substitute with zero calories. Avoid candies and chocolates.
Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole-grain products
These products are less refined than their white counterparts and often have much more fiber in them which is digested slower, keeps us feeling fuller longer and releases its energy slower which keep our blood sugar levels even and helps us avoid cravings.
Drink more water :
Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. The process of burning calories requires an adequate supply of water in order to function efficiently and dehydration slows down the fat burning process. Try drinking a glass of water before a meal. It will partially fill your stomach and may reduce your hunger levels.
Eat breakfast everyday :
Many people think skipping breakfast is a great way to cut calories, but they usually end up eating more throughout the day. Do not skip breakfast. If you’re on a diet, it’s not good to miss the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast makes you hungry which you tend to compensate by eating a lot later. Avoid that craving by eating a hearty meal in the morning.
It’s okay to eat your favorite foods :
Everyone has his or her favorite treats. Simply allow yourself a little indulgence, just do it in moderation. If you deny yourself your favorite food, you’ll crave it more and eventually eat it more.
Exercise – best tips :
“Pay yourself first” : Similar to the concept of saving money by paying yourself first, you should put aside time for your exercise first. Take it off the top. If your schedule allows only 15 minutes, it is better to do it for 15 minutes rather than not do any exercise. At least, exercise in short bursts for 5-10 minutes of exercise in the morning and evening. Even the busiest people can spare 10 minutes. Choose any exercise you like. Simple floor exercise at home is sufficient. Consistency is the key.
Choose a game or activity you enjoy doing. It can be anything such as tennis, golf, kayaking, hiking, jogging or swimming. Do it at least three times a week.
Interval Training is a great way to boost metabolism :
Interval training is training using short bursts of high intensity exercise that are separated by recovery periods of low intensity exercise. You will push yourself beyond your comfort level for short bursts of time. For example walk 3 minutes then run for 1 minute and keep doing that until 30 minutes or as long as you can. Gradually you’ll be able to perform at the higher level for longer periods of time and burn more calories.
Incorporate Strength Training into your workout :
If you are not doing strength training then you’re missing a key component in your weight loss plan. Strength training increases metabolism increasing lean muscle mass which helps in long term weight loss. Muscles burn calories and gives you leaner look. It increases bone density. Strength training can be accomplished by using dumbbells, weight machines, push ups or squats etc.
Aerobic exercise :
Aerobic exercise refers to exercise that involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body. Aerobic exercise burns a lot of calories, so it directly contributes to weight loss. Start a workout routine. You can start small and slow, but aim for 30-60 minutes of physical activity a day. Examples of aerobic exercise: walking, jogging, swimming, brisk walking, running, ice skating, biking, aerobics, rowing, basketball, jumping rope, roller skating, dancing. Examples of stationary exercise machines for doing aerobic exercise: elliptical machine, stationary bike, treadmills, stair-steppers and rowing machines.
It is OK to watch TV, but you can also do simple exercises while watching TV. For example, bend and stretch your knees; bend forward and touch your toes; walk on a small stepper while watching TV. It is a great idea to do sit-ups or lift dumbbells while watching TV. Combine healthy exercise with fun.
Take the stairs and park your car further away from the shops. It will help increase the number of steps you take in a day and will burn a few more calories.
Don’t beat yourself up over a bad day.
You are going to have moments of weakness and times when you overeat. Don’t beat yourself up when you overindulge. Instead put yourself back on track the next day. Give yourself credit for everything you have been doing on other days. Every day is different, do the best you can do now. You can workout a little longer and burn some of those extra calories.