General Tips
For Weight Loss
- Never Crash Diet
This is the biggest mistake dieters make. You are setting yourself up for failure if you crash diet or attempt starvation diets. When you lose weight rapidly your body is typically only losing glycogen and water weight, not fat. Your body thinks that it’s starving and reduces its metabolic rate, which makes it harder for your body to burn each calorie. Then when you start eating normally again, your body stores as much food as it can into your fat cells in case of another “famine.” In a crash diet you will burn more muscle cells than fat cells.
- Substitute Foods Instead of Eliminating Them
Although many people feel that “diet” or “reduced fat” foods are not as good as the original, it can be a big help to buy less fatty snack foods. Try out different reduced fat brands and items and who knows, you may find something that you like even better than the original. Normally what happens when individuals attempt to eliminate certain food items is that they do not succeed and they end up eating more of the food item to make up for the original loss. Moderation should be your goal. Over time there will be foods that you will naturally stop eating if your goal is healthy eating.
- Watch What you Drink
Cutting soda out of your diet completely can save the average person 360 calories or more each day. Even diet soda, fruit juices, and whole milk can add unnecessary calories to your daily intake. Instead, drink lots of water and switch from whole to skim or even soy milk. If you drink 5-8 glasses of water a day, you will not have a desire for the high calorie drinks.
- Move Around
Getting up, moving around, and exercising will reduce the amount of food that you will need to cut back on. There are simple things you can do to increase exercise and thus burn calories. Use stairs instead of elevators and escalators. Park further away when going to a store. Walk the dog instead of just letting them outside. Take an extra lap or two around the mall. Do something while watching TV instead of just sitting on the couch eating snack food.
- Start Small
Gradually ease into your diet if possible. Remember that small changes are easier to stick with than drastic ones. Start by always leaving a little extra on your plate, or drinking water instead of soda. Slowly adapt healthy eating habits so that it becomes a lifestyle and you will not need to keep going on a diet.
- Don’t Overeat
If you’re full, or even simply satisfied, stop eating. There’s no need to eat until your stomach feels like it’s going to explode. Most restaurants serve more than what is needed in one serving. Get a take out box before you even start your meal and remove a portion of the meal to take home.
- You can lose weight
If your goal is to lose weight by changing your eating habits on a long term basis, you can lose weight permanently. Your goal should be to have healthy eating habits, not to just start another diet.
How Can I Be Motivated to Lose Weight and Exercise?
After that initial excitement and determination wears off, it’s hard for most people to continue doing stretching exercises, going to the gym, eating right, or both. Here are a few ways for you to stay motivated about your diet and exercise programs. Get a Workout and/or Weight Loss Partner
It’s always easier to do things with a friend. When it come to dieting and working out, you won’t feel like you’re in it alone. You’ll be able to check up on each other and make sure that you are both staying on the diet and you can motivate each other to exercise on a regular schedule. For some of you, there may not be anybody you can partner with on your journey to lose weight. That is why Thin for Life has developed the various membership benefits so that you may connect with others of like mind. By using the various benefits we offer, it will be easy for you to obtain accountability partners.
Think Positively
Positive reinforcement plays a huge role in someone’s willingness and desire to continue doing an activity, or to do it again. Reward yourself for staying on your goal to lose weight. (Of course, don’t reward yourself with food).
Positive thinking also works for exercise as well. After you workout concentrate on how you feel good emotionally even if your muscles may be sore.
Realize it is important to build yourself up emotionally and spiritually as well as reducing food intake and exercise.
Vary Your Workout and Your Meals
If there are exercises that you absolutely hate to do, don’t do them. Otherwise you will dread working out and will stop exercising. Find different exercises to do that will keep you interested in exercising.
When attempting to eat healthier, vary your meals. Try different food items that you have not eaten in the past. If you’re always eating the same things you will no doubt get sick of them. Still eat healthy, but try new and different foods on a regular basis.
Realize the Importance of What You’re Doing for Your Health
Yes, it is ok to lose weight to “look better”, but more important is the health benefits of losing weight.
Working out and eating right increases your life expectancy and improves your quality of life. You’ll have more energy and be able to do so much more. You will feel good about yourself.
