No matter how you do it, losing weight is an individual thing. Friends can help you but they can't lose the weight for you. You've got to take charge of your weight loss from the beginning if you want to get serious about losing weight. The following tips will help.
Double the amount of meals you eat from three to six daily, and monitor your portion sizes and consider it snacking with the exception of breakfast and dinner. Doing this will prevent you from feeling hungry. As a result, you are much more likely to avoid consuming significantly large portions. It will help you consume less calories daily so you're able to reach your weight loss goal.
The simplest advice for those seeking to lose weight is this: first, set your goals and then determine how realistic they are for you. Many people, especially women, cling to an outdated body image rather than looking to achieve a weight that is best for their current health. Consequently, they set unrealistic goals and are often disappointed when those goals are not met. You should therefore think carefully about what weight is healthy for you now, at this point in your life, and work from there.
You may be tempted, when trying to lose weight, to cut fat out entirely. But it's important to remember that fat has a high satiety value in foods, so a little will go a long way. Case in point: baked potato chips may have no fat, but because of that, they don't trigger your satiety level as quickly as regular or even the "fat-free" Olestra chips do. So, you're tempted to eat the whole bag. Better, for example, to eat a small amount of high-quality, high-fat food - let's say, a small high-end dark chocolate bar - then to gorge on large quantities of low- or non-fat foods. You'll be more satisfied without having to say "No" to treats.
Diet sodas may seem like a good idea if you are trying to save on calories while dieting. But studies have now shown that people who regularly drink diet soft drinks are more likely to be overweight than their non-diet soda drinking counterparts. Instead opt for fruit juice cut with water or club soda.
One helpful tip for losing weight is to practice mindful eating. Give yourself time to just eat and enjoy your food, instead of watching TV and eating or eating on the run. Although that can be tough in this fast-paced world, it will slow you down and help you focus on what you are putting into your body. Focus on the taste of the food, how you feel when you're eating it and when you feel full. Stop eating just before you are full, as it will take your brain a little time to register that you have had enough to eat. Give it a try and you will feel more satisfied with your meals if you do!
If you want to lose weight you need to stop drinking soda pop. Colas, even diet colas, cause weight gain. If you currently drink many sodas each day, begin by cutting the amount you drink. Reduce the amount until you are only drinking one can per day. Then you can cut it down to one every other day, then eventually stop drinking pop completely.
Becoming an active person when trying to lose weight is a great idea, and an easy way you can increase your activity is to become a social butterfly. If you can attend festivals, visit flea markets or swap meets, or participate in any activity where you're out and about, make going out your alternative to watching TV.
Stop the yo-yo dieting cycle. Crash diets are great for immediate weight loss, but they do nothing for you in the long run. Unfortunately, crash diets can lead to weigh gain. Going on crash diets cause your weight loss to "yo-yo". This slows your metabolic rate and causes your body not to burn energy, but to store it, causing weight gain.
If you are in the mood for something crunchy, don't grab the entire potato chip bag and run. Instead, place one or two handfuls of the snack into a Ziploc bag to control the amount of salt you will be putting into your body. This is a great way to control portions.
Take up meditation. Meditation can be a great way to deal with stress. Stress can trigger you to eat when you are not hungry. It can also be the driving force behind a lot of your cravings. Try adding a short meditation session to your daily routine. Alternatively, just try meditating when you feel hungry between scheduled meals.
If you are having a lot of trouble stopping at the end of a meal, sprinkle salt or pepper on what is left. This will prevent you from eating it, as your food will no longer look appetizing. This is a great trick that you can use to finish eating towards the end of a meal.
A great tip to use when you get a craving is to chew some sugar-free gum. You won't want to chew a lot of it, because the sweetness of the gum may make you want to binge on snacks. But with your mouth in constant motion, you can trick your mind into believing that you're actually eating something sweet.
Always be careful when it comes to eating muffins, bagels, croissants or biscuits. A large muffin can have a ton of calories and fat, about two times more then a regular size. If you are going to eat something like that, make sure it is small and the muffin is whole grain. Then you will not be consuming all the extra calories.
Do not damage your body, emotionally or physically, as this can lead to failure for your weight loss. If you have an injury, it's okay to slow down. Find an alternative exercise that you can do easily, while the injury heals. If Lose Weight 101: How-To Guide you are mentally blocked, figure out why. It's okay to take a break if you need to.
Use the color blue everywhere! Eating from a blue plate can be a natural appetite suppressant. Have blue at your kitchen table to see the effect that it has. Stay away from red, yellow, and orange, as they increase appetite. Most people don't even realize how colors and visuals affect how they eat. Keep this in mind when putting out your plates or deciding what to wear.
One method to help you lose those unwanted pounds is to keep raw food handy. Most raw fruits and vegetables are both diet-friendly and healthy. By keeping things like sliced carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and apples, prepared and easy to grab, you can quickly take the edge off of your appetite and not succumb to handy junk food, such as candy, which is high in calories.
Don't completely cut out indulgences if you want to lose weight. Enjoying an occasional splurge, or a couple of alcoholic drinks once in a while, can actually help to keep you on track. Excessively limiting these things will make you crave them. It can cause weight loss failure, as you may abandon your regime altogether. So let yourself have a tasty treat sometimes!
Hopefully you are now mentally prepared to take on the challenge of losing weight with determination and vigor. You now have a plan of action in mind and reminders of it posted on the door of your refrigerator. Today you are armed with the knowledge you need to facilitate your weight loss program and meet the goals you have set for yourself. Today you are ready for your weight loss success!
