Want to know how to successfully lose weight? Firstly, you do not want to lose weight fast - it’s just being stupid. Even if you do, you are suffering for it, and most likely you will pile the weight back on. Secondly, weight loss is about being realistic. You did not gain the over night, so you can expect to lose it overnight. Losing weight is about staying patient, eating sensibly and staying active. But more importantly, it is about implementing new positive changes that will help you lose the weight, keep it off and improve your health. If you are ready for that, below are 5 key steps to get you going-
1. Avoid Saturated fats, and eat more ploy or mono saturated fats. And to boost your intake of good fats, eat regular helpings of oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel. Use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and salads, and also try flax oil, canola oil, soy oil and walnut oil. For nuts and seeds, choose almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, peanuts, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts, as well as sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. Lastly, when you buy meat, get the lean meat that are trimmed of fat!
2. Choose exercises that you enjoy - and don’t over do it. Pull ups are an excellent way to increase your strength, but some people just despise doing them. Don’t do exercises just because it helps you with strength training, if it makes you feel miserable. You have to find a way enjoy your fix, or choose another exercise that offers the same benefits but is not so tedious or stressful on you. Have fun and look for improvements each month.
3. Don’t be tempted by plans offering huge weight loss over a short period of time. A plan offering fast results is not a healthy or a wise choice - you want a plan you can stick with for the rest of your life; a healthy diet that will keep the weight off. Once you start reducing body fat, look at exercises that will strengthen your body with resistance training and high intensity aerobic exercises.
4. Never compare yourself to others. Each of us is a unique individual with our own unique genetic make up which controls some of our weight gain, weight loss and even how our muscles respond to training. Don’t rate your accomplishments according to the achievements of others; instead continue at your own pace and your own goals. If you try too hard you simply set yourself up to fail.
5. Meal planning and time management are key components of creating a healthy eating plan. Hence, plan your meals in advance each week. This will help you avoid impulse purchases at the grocery store that may not support your commitment to healthy eating. Plan your grocery list consisting of products that are low in fat like lean meat, skinless chicken and fish, fresh or frozen fruits and veggies, healthy nuts for snacking, low-fat dairy products and plenty of whole grains (whole wheat pasta, legumes, brown rice). Better still, include plenty of high-fiber foods in your daily diet, as fiber has been shown to fuel your body with great nutrition and keep you full longer.
The above tips are just some of the things you can do now to lose your weight. But just make it a point to gradually change your lifestyle. For example, if you have been on the fast food diet 5 days of the week, look at cutting it down to 4 days and progressively just cut it down to the occasional fast food over time. Losing weight is about patience, and making changes slowly. It is about getting real and making positive changes to your life.
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