Are you the type of person who tries all the fad diets only to find out that they don’t fit your lifestyle and quickly get discouraged when the pounds don’t fall off instantly? Join the club! I have tried them all only to fail time and time again.
A few months back I decided that it was time to lose some weight. My pants kept getting tighter and the thought of buying a bigger pair made me sick. So it was time to do something about it.
The first thing to do is set a goal. “Lose Weight” is not specific enough. Decide on an amount of weight you want to lose. Make sure your weight loss goal is realistic. If you are 6’- 4”, deciding you want to weigh 120 pounds just doesn’t make sense. Visit the link provided at the bottom of this article to calculate your ideal weight. Since you may not be interested in getting down to your “ideal” weight, you may want to settle on a target weight that is 10% - 12% over your target weight.
Once you have your goal set, here is a list of things you can do to start losing weight right away:
Stop drinking soda: Drinking diet soda is certainly better than drinking regular soda, but cutting it out entirely is your best option for losing pounds quickly.
Stop drinking beer/alcohol: There are about 100 calories in a single glass of beer or a shot of alcohol.
Don’t eat after 7:00 PM: Eating or snacking right before bed time is one of the key reasons most people gain weight. Try drinking a glass of water if you feel the urge to snack in the late evening.
Portion control: Portion control does not mean starve yourself. If you walk around hungry all day, you are far more likely to snack on junk food than if you eat a reasonably sized meal. If you are hungry between meals, try eating an apple or banana and a glass of water rather than a candy bar or a bag of chips.
Do not skip breakfast: It’s been proven that people who skip breakfast have a much harder time losing weight. Your body needs the energy to carry you through the day. Depriving it of the morning meal will teach your body to store fat.
Exercise: You knew this part was coming, right? Losing weight is simply a mathematical equation. You need to burn more calories than you take in each day. You don’t have to become a body builder lifting weights every day. Walking is a perfectly fine calorie burning activity. Get yourself a decent pair of walking shoes and try to walk 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week.
Keep a Journal: Some people say it’s not a good idea to look at the scale every day, but I think they are wrong. Each morning when you first wake up, empty your bladder and then step on the scale. Mark down your weight in your journal. You can also keep notes on your food/water intake and your exercise. It won’t take very long for you to see a pattern on how your body reacts to your food and exercise routines.
Following these simple suggestions will help you get on track to losing weight. While your results will not come overnight, working these changes in to your lifestyle will help you not only reach your goal, but maintain the healthy body you’ve always wanted!
© John HawkinsJohn Hawkins is a writer for several online blogs & forums. For information about Finding your ideal body weight, check out http://geeeek.com/calculate-your-ideal-weight/This article may be reprinted on your Web site if the copyright, author information and active link are included.
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