Striving to change your life physically is a worthy and yet occasionally frustrating goal. Whether you are just starting, or a seasoned pro these weight loss tips can help you to get back in shape, or stay in shape. Read the whole article and implement them one at a time, or combine a few for faster results.
1. Watch your diet and exercise. It’s just that simple, watch the things you are eating and expend more energy than you consume. That’s it, no need to read any more of this and you don’t need to go out and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on fancy training, pills, or 3,000 word books.
2. Change your life. For those that have the impression a diet means something you do for a little while and then go back to your normal way of life think again. Diets do not work for that very reason. They are only temporary and you gain all the weight back. You need to change your entire lifestyle in order for quick weight loss to become sustained fast weight loss. You watch TV a lot, well drop half an hour and go outside for a walk. Spend more time playing a sport, playing with the kids, even cleaning up would change the routine.
3. Get before and after pictures. If you’re like me you get discouraged after a while and may not stay as consistent as you would like with your workout schedule. One of the best ways to see results is to get photos taken of yourself every 30 days or so, of course get one taken the day you start as well.
4. Get a substitute. There are times when a substitute product is better than the brands you are used to using. Eggs for instance are a great thing to consider getting a replacement for. You can get egg whites only for a good boost in super healthy protein without the extra fat or cholesterol, though a few whole eggs are also good to eat. Overall though you can find many healthy choice versions many products that still taste good.
5. Read before buying. You would be amazed at what is actually in a lot of the foods you generally take for granted as being healthy. From now on don’t just pull it from the shelf and drop it into the cart, turn it over and read the ingredients. Looking at the serving size, fats, carbs, proteins and really getting to know what you are eating is going to be far more beneficial than taking someone else’s word for what is good.
6. Create a support group. Talking to friends, family, co-workers, or gym goers about what you’re trying to do is a great way to help keep yourself motivated. If they know and you start to slack they will ask and you’ll want to avoid any shame by getting back into it. That being said, make sure the reason you decide to lose weight is something you WANT to do. I can say from experience that if it’s not a strong deep down desire to be healthy so you can function at your peak ability then you’re going to slip up. While it will make you feel best when others take note of your progress, if you aren’t enjoying what you’re doing it’s not going to stick. Get a work out buddy, running buddy or whatever to help push each other, and tell the family so they support you in the way you want rather than sabotage your efforts.
7. Do what you love. While some exercises do indeed burn more calories than others, I hate running stairs. It’s just no fun to stare at a TV screen in a gym, stand on a treadmill, elliptical machine or any of those stationary machines and drone away. I love to get outside, even in the buck as* cold and watch the scenery go by. I get a real sense of accomplishment from it. Perhaps you get that where I don’t, if so then do that. Being inundated by others telling you do this exercise, or that while knowing you don’t really enjoy them is going to make it tough to persist with your goal. Spend most of your time doing what you like and maybe once a week trying something new or doing something your work out buddy likes.
8. Get your mind out of the game. The hardest part about exercise is not the workout itself. It’s getting your own mind to forget about what’s going on and pushing your body past what it’s comfortable with. If you were being chased by some gun toting person trying to kill you, I have no doubt you could run 100 times farther than you would even consider trying. Using an iPod or mp3 player and listening to some good music will help you focus your mind on something other than how your muscles are burning.
9. Make it realistic. Setting a goal to lose 10 pounds this week, workout 5 hours a day, and eat only carrots may be sustainable for a week. However when you get done with the weekend you’re going to binge and stop all together. Make it a realistic set of goals for an overall lifestyle change: workout 3 times a week by dropping half an hour of TV those days, increase the duration by 10 minutes the next week, add a 4th day, drink 32 oz of water a day, etc. Small goals will help you change the routine and start some new ones, which you can then increase later on.
10. Remove extra trans fat and corn syrup. This is a good idea for several reasons. In doing so you remove the majority of highly processed foods that are doing more harm to your body than good. You also will get yourself in the habit of being selective of what foods you eat and have a reason now to look at the labels.
11. Listen to yourself. There are those that want you to be happy yet also want to make sure you avoid pain. This is generally those close to you that may have failed themselves at losing weight and can’t handle the change. Statements like “I like just as you are”, or “Don’t you think you’ve lost enough weight” are things to watch out for. So if YOU are unhappy with the extra weight and still want to drop more than thank them for the concern and continue with your goals (within reason, that being if you start to look more like a corpse you need to have a talk with a psychologist).
12. You are you. While it’s OK to look at others and use them as motivation for what you want to look like, or to get more workout ideas don’t compare yourself to them. Comparing yourself to others is a great way to tear yourself down and lose all motivation for yourself. Everyone’s body is different. No two people will get the same results doing the same things. Find your own rhythm and track your progress.
13. Men and women are different. Research has shown time and again that men lose weight faster than women. If you and your spouse are starting a regimen together make separate goals. Woman have a higher body fat percentage than men even in their healthiest states. While men can get down to the single digits woman should not try to do so.
14. Get the magic wand out. There is nothing that will just “make you lose weight”. You have to eat right and exercise. No pill, diet, supplement, or single product will do it for you. Regardless of what people you know have used and lost weight with the moment they come off it they will gain it right back.
15. Vitamins rule. Everyone in the fitness industry will agree that if you take just one supplement make it vitamins. A good multivitamin will give your body what it’s not getting from the foods you eat and improve your results a great deal.
16. Track your food. Easy weight loss tips are the best in my opinion and this is what I’ve done to track my food. I don’t think that all calories are created equal and so I track them individually. By that I mean that I track carbs, fats, and proteins separately. At the end of the day write down the number of grams you ate for each thing during the day. This will help you stay on top of what you’re eating and is easy to make adjustments with. You can get all sorts of complicated software, charts and spreadsheets to track your progress but for me simpler is better.
17. Set specifics. What are you going for? What do you want to look like? Being specific with your goals is going to help the most in the long run. Figuring what your “ideal weight” is for your height, age, and gender is a good starting place; though know that those numbers are generally figured towards moderate activity. If you are working out a lot, want to be a bodybuilder then being over those numbers is not a bad thing. Do you want 17″ arms, 15% body fat, 6 pack abs, broader shoulders, etc. If that’s too much, set your goal simply on the ideal weight and get to work.
18. I love fast food. Sadly it doesn’t love me, at least not in the way I want. Food is a source of fuel and raw materials for the body to use for building and repairing itself. Fast food is generally full of fat, highly processed foods that lose their nutritional value. Avoid going out to eat as much as possible and bring more whole food meals to work.
19. Its about how you look. While measuring your weight loss helps you to keep track of progress it’s not the most important to me. I like to track progress by how my clothes fit, how many pant sizes did I drop, am I more agile, lifting more weight, running farther, etc. You don’t need to go to the scale every day. Focus on sticking with your improved diet and exercising and the weight loss will happen. At the same time don’t be discouraged if you don’t drop some weight, you may be converting some to muscle which is even better! A muscle burn more calories than a pound of fat does so more muscle mass means more fat loss.
20. Build to lose. Almost all experts agree that if you want to lose weight you would do best to add weight lifting to your routine. The reason was said earlier that muscle burns more calories than fat. If you want to lose weight and don’t add weight lifting you could be losing muscle and not fat. This is particularly true for those that go on diets, drop calories improperly. When you drop calories without adding weight lifting your body goes to the source that takes the most resources to sustain and drops it first. This means your metabolism drops and then you stabilize. When this happens you get discouraged and gain all the weight back. Weight loss is better described as fat loss. You want to lose body fat percentage not just “weight”.
21. Sleep like a baby. This is one area that many people try to avoid or say they don’t have time for. Well the reality is that if you skimp on the sleep you are doing more harm than good. It is when you sleep that your body repairs itself and builds muscle. You NEEEEEED a good night’s sleep. Get at least 8-9 hours of sleep each day.
22. Eat more often. Eating 3 times a day is a recipe for disaster. If this is the habit you are in then you are hindering your efforts. There are two states to the body, anabolic and catabolic. When you eat you give your body the nutrients it needs to meet the processes it’s carrying out. These nutrients are needed about every 2-3 hours, and this is why we should eat that often. If you don’t your body is in a catabolic state where is stores and takes from existing supplies to meet its needs.
23. More fiber please. Constipation is not fun to deal with and when you start to eat more often, workout and lose weight it could happen more than to others. This is due to the fact that you’re not getting the right amounts in the first place and now you’re demanding more of your body. There is no reason you should find yourself in this trouble spot though. Eat whole wheat breads, whole grain rice, and add vegetables to avoid it. If you can’t get a good 20-25 grams a day then consider a Metamucil supplement.
24. Cheating happens. When I was looking for quick weight loss tips I found everyone say that one of these days you’re going to slip. You’re going to be strong for a week, months, year or whatever and then you’re going to drop the ball. You will go out and eat the worst things possible, not work out for a whole week, or whatever. This is going to happen, just don’t let it be the norm. Have a cheat meal each week if your diet routine is tough at first. That’s just fine.
25. Drown in water. When is the last time you drank a gallon of water in a single day? How about half a gallon? NO- milk, juice, soda, and all the others stuff you drink does NOT count towards that. If you haven’t then you really don’t know what it’s like to feel hydrated, but right now you know the feeling of dehydration. So get yourself a good 32 oz Gatorade bottle or 1 liter bottle, or even a half gallon bottle and fill them up 2-4 times a day. If you need flavor then add lemon or lime. Your probably retaining more water now than if you were to drink more so don’t worry about that either.
26. Sugar is the devil. The simple truth behind sugar is that it makes for a good marketing ploy. It’s its sweet people are going to buy it. Sugar is great after a workout because your body needs a quick boost to return to an anabolic state, however for the rest of the day avoid eating sugary foods. It’s just going to spike your blood sugar levels and could cause you to feel anxiety.
27. White flour is evil. Have you ever asked a diabetic if they eat white bread? Or rather why they don’t. Simple reason is that it gets absorbed super fast and is not good for the body for most of the day. Just like sugar this can be eaten right after a workout for best results. White flour is very processed and leads to a quick release into the blood stream, spiking insulin levels. What you want is a slow release of carbohydrates for sustained long term energy throughout the day.
28. Bye bye pasta. Most pasta is the same as white bread, highly refined and not the best for your health. Though if you’re running a marathon eating a lot of it the night before is helpful for carb loading. Here is one of those fast weight loss tips we all love: when in doubt, eat wheat. The more natural the food to its regular state the healthier for you. Whole wheat options will give you the most sustained release of energy.
29. Keep it simple. Healthy weight loss tips that are basic will lead to the best results. You can change strategy all over but if you don’t follow the basics you’re not going to attain your goals. Carbs and fats are for energy while protein is used to build. Eat 1-2g of protein a day, 2 if you want to be a bodybuilder, 1.5 for athletes, 1 for the regular joes. Since carbs are pure energy start them off the same as the protein and add to them, or subtract, as your activity level demands. Fats you want to keep under 100g, I work on keeping mine around 60. If your smaller then somewhere between 30-50.
30. Bodies are different. There are 3 basic body types and depending on your primary type you may want to alter your basic nutrition. Mesomorph, ectomorph, and endomorph are the 3 types. Ectomorphs are the people that can eat a cow and lose 5 pounds. They have a tough time gaining weight. Endomorphs are the opposite and gain weight quite easily. Mesomorphs fall in between and gain muscle easily with the least amount of fat. If you are an ectomorph and want to build muscle double the carb intake and add a healthy fat supplement to your post workout meal. Endomorphs should try not eating carbs after 6pm, or within 4 hours of going to bed. Mesomorphs are considered lucky genetically though they should still be strict with their nutrition to get the best results.
After getting to your goal what do you do? Hopefully you have gained a love for working out, enjoy the foods you eat, and don’t let yourself get lazy. I have done that a few times and find myself gaining all over again. I feel worst when I am lazy and sometimes it’s hard to get out of the rut but stick with it. The good part is that when you do it once, it’s far easier the second time.