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Nimi Clare B.Sc., is a certified personal trainer, certified fitness consultant, certified group exercise instructor, and certified Pilates instructor.
Email her! nimi@mybindi.com
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10 Realistic Ways to Weight Loss
So many diet books, diet plans and weight loss products. Where do you spend your money and how much do you spend? If all these products worked we'd have a society of thin people. But we don't. Rather, the rate of obesity is on the rise. So let's become realistic and realize that weight loss products and diets don't work. There is no quick fix.
I'm sure you've tried some diet before, only to find that it didn't. Or maybe you lost a lot of weight, but once you were off the diet the weight came right back, faster than you took it off. You felt like you failed, not the product, and you went back to your old eating habits. The key message in the last sentence is "old eating habits"; these same habits are the ones that caused you to gain weight slowly. So what do you think you have to do? You guessed it, change your old habits. The only thing that is going to work is taking control and changing those habits once and for all. You have to think lifestyle change and focus on making healthy choices a habit. Weight loss takes patience and practice. If you fall off your goal, don't dwell on it; just use your energy to get back on it. Think positive and take positive steps. Below are some changes you can make to start losing weight today. Focus on one of the tips and try to make it a lifestyle change and then pick another one to work on and so forth.
- Balance your energy. Here's a simple way of losing weight. Take a look at your energy in vs. energy out. To lose weight your 'energy in' should be less than your 'energy out'. So cut down on high calorie foods or start exercising more. But remember exercising is not an excuse to start eating more, if it is then you're back to where you started.
- Find some time for you. The most common excuse for not exercising or for being over weight is lack of time. When trying to find time in a day remember you owe it to yourself to take care of yourself. You have to look out for number one and that is you. So stop feeling guilty for making time for yourself and for what is going to make you happy. Just think if you take time out for yourself to exercise and eat healthy you'll have more energy and be in a better mood. This will allow you to take better care of your loved ones and they'll enjoy your company more.
- Move around. We all know exercise burns calories, so why not start. Maybe you don't want to join a gym because you're too shy or too embarrassed or it's just too expensive. These are problems that can be easily solved. Exercise at home; maybe you have an exercise machine that you use to hang your clothes. Push the clothes away and start using it. You can buy some exercise DVD's, buy some hand weights, go for a walk outside, put a CD on and dance, or do one of the exercise shows that comes on T.V. (check your T.V. guide). Walk up and down the stairs 20 times, the list is endless. Be creative and do something that you like. Remember to start slow (2 to 3 times a week for 20 to 30 minutes) and aim to make it a habit for life. Be sure to consult your physician before starting any exercise program.
- Be patient. Time to time remind yourself that if you want to lose weight for good, it is going to take time. You didn't put on weight overnight, so in reality you're not going to lose it overnight. Just think when you lose the weight you'll be healthy and you'll never gain that weight again. It's a challenge but it's doable, so may people do it and so can you. To keep yourself on this line of thought give yourself rewards on the way to your ultimate goal. Write these rewards down. For example, you can say for the first 5 pounds I lose I'll go get a massage.
- Snack wisely. Remember everything you put into your mouth counts. Whether it's the 5 chips you've had while making dinner or 5 cookies. It all adds up. Cut fruit and vegetables the night before and place them in the fridge. This way when you come home from work you have something healthy to snack on while you fix dinner.
- Start now and not tomorrow. How many times have we used this excuse; I've already ruined today with my breakfast so I'll just eat everything in site today and start tomorrow. Well guess what that tomorrow turns into a year. You might say tomorrow is Saturday so I'll just start on Monday. Start NOW!!
- Check your portions. Use the food guide to see what a serving size is. You might be surprised at what a serving size is for each of the food groups. For example, 1 cup of rice is considered 2 servings. Just by cutting down on your portions you will drop weight. The main key to weight loss is moderation. Don't deprive yourself of anything, but just cut back on your quantities.
- Liquids count. Cut down on your consumption of the unhealthy drinks and add more water into your diet. No one is asking you to cut these out totally, just have them in moderation.
- Keep a journal. Buy a notebook and on each page write the date down. Carry it everywhere you go and write down everything you eat (yes, those 5 chips count). If you know you have to write it down chances are you might think twice before putting something in your mouth. Also, keep track of your physical activity each day.
- Be realistic. It is great to have goals but ask yourself are they realistic. Genes have a lot to do with the way we look. Take a look at your family. That is not to say if most people in your family are obese that you shouldn't do something about it. Just make sure that your weight is in the healthy zone.
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