Are you tired of carrying around the extra pounds? Or do you want to shed extra weight once and for all? This article covers the basics including how to eat, exercise and stay motivated to lose weight. It also covers some specific diets that you may want to try in your journey to a smaller, healthier you.
Rules of Thumb
1
Keep your own personal food diary. People who keep food diaries, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, lose an average of 6 pounds (2.75 kg) more than people who don't keep a record of everything that they eat.
[1] So force yourself to write down the good, the bad and the ugly. Keep these tips in mind:
Be exhaustive. Write it all down, including beverages. Don't pretend you didn't have that extra glass of wine after dinner. If it goes into your stomach, it goes into the journal.
Be accurate. Record your portion sizes in your food diary. Also, read the ingredients list so that you can be accurate about serving sizes.
Be complete. Add detailed information about how your food was prepared (fried, broiled, grilled, etc.), and write down any added toppings or condiments that you ate.
Be consistent. Carry your food journal everywhere that you go. As an alternative, you can use a diet-tracking app on your smartphone or tablet.
2
Avoid skipping meals. The same study found that people who ate at least 3 meals per day lost more weight than people who didn't. The scientists speculate that people who skip meals either overeat at their next meals because they're so hungry, or their bodies absorb more calories because they're in starvation mode from skipping meals.
- When you skip meals, your body stops breaking down fat and starts breaking down muscle tissue. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than other tissues, so you're actually working against your goals.[2]
Make sure that you don't get hungry by eating small portions throughout the day. Between your meals, eat a 150-calorie snack to keep your metabolism burning and to stave off hunger. Be sure that you don't eat a fattening snack, such as sweets or crisps. When you're hungry, your body conserves calories and slows down your metabolic processes.
[3]
3
Eat food from home. Sure, going out for a power lunch helps you to see and be seen, but researchers find that people who eat fewer meals from restaurants tend to lose more weight.
When you eat at a restaurant, you have limited control over your portions. As a result, you often eat more than you intended to eat. Try packing up half of it in advance and taking it home for tomorrow. Do this before you start eating so you're not tempted to finish your gigantic portion.
Ordering from a restaurant menu doesn't give you complete information about how your food is cooked or what ingredients are used. At home, you can substitute lower-calorie ingredients or make recipes over so that they still taste great while delivering healthier results.[4]
Low-Calorie Diet
1
Learn to love fruit. Fruit helps to satisfy your sweet tooth thanks to its natural sugars. It also contains fibre to help you feel full quickly. Try some of these tips to introduce more fruit into your diet:
Choose fruit that's in season. When you eat apples in the fall, for instance, or cherries in late summer, you are eating fruit at the peak of its flavor. It's going to be a much more satisfying experience.
Eat pre-cut fruits like melons or pineapple chunks as snacks.
Keep a bowl filled with fruit on your kitchen counter or in your refrigerator. Also, keep dried fruit and fruit canned in water on hand in case your fresh produce goes bad.
Prepare a large fruit salad containing mostly berries as well as other fruit that won't go bad quickly, like pineapples or orange chunks. Toss in some walnuts and refrigerate the fruit salad for up to a week. Grab a cupful for breakfast or eat it as a dessert
2
.Eat vegetables for nutrition and to help you fill up more quickly. When you make your lunch or dinner plate contain at least 50 percent vegetables, you can have other richer dishes on your plate in smaller portions. Add veggies to your plate by following some of these suggestions:
Enjoy vegetables that contain potassium. Vegetables like sweet potatoes, spinach and lentils will ensure that you get the potassium that you need.
Use vegetables as a main dish. For example, make a stir-fry or a hearty salad and add just a few ounces of cooked chicken, salmon or almonds.
If you have a habit of eating out of boredom.Try chewing sugar free gum.
Eat crunchy vegetables as snacks. Cut up celery, carrots, peppers, broccoli or cauliflower and dip them in a light salad dressing or hummus.
Take advantage of frozen vegetables. They cook quickly in the microwave when you're in a hurry to fix dinner.[
3
Learn to eat whole grains instead of refined foods.
Substitute whole-grain foods for refined carbohydrates. Try whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta or brown rice.
Substitute whole wheat flour or oat flour into pancakes or baked goods. You might need to add additional leavening ingredients, like wheat gluten.
Swap whole grains into traditional mixed dishes. For example, put barley in your soup instead of rice or try a pilaf with barley, wild rice or brown rice.
4
Choose protein wisely
Select lean cuts of beef or extra-lean ground beef.
Try chicken breasts. If you use different cuts of chicken, then remove the skin.
Skip the fatty deli meats like bologna and salami. Choose lean turkey or roast beef as a replacement.
Vegetarians can get plenty of protein from soy, nuts, beans and seeds. Enjoy nuts and seeds in moderation because they have a high concentration of calories.
5
Eat low-fat dairy products including low-fat cheeses and non fat yogurt.
6
Consume healthy oils.
If you cook with oil, use a teaspoon of a healthy oil such as olive oil or canola oil. Or instead of adding oil for flavour, add spices or vinegar.
Low-Carb Diet
Limit the quantity of carbohydrates in your diet. According to low-carb experts, carbohydrates cause your body to produce more insulin, which burns the carbs that you've just eaten for energy instead of getting energy from your body's stored fat. When you cut carbs, your body produces less insulin so that you burn stored fat for energy.
For the first 2 weeks of your diet, eat no more than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Make sure that your carbs come from vegetables first. The rest of your diet should center around protein and fat.
Gradually add carbs back into your diet and watch the scale. If your weight loss slows down, then cut back on the carbs. You want to eat enough carbs to feel satisfied while still losing weight.
2
Eat only naturally-occurring carbohydrates instead of processed carbohydrates. Appropriate choices include carbohydrates that occur naturally in in fruit, vegetables, milk, nuts, whole grains, seeds and legumes. Avoid processed foods, like white bread, semolina pasta or crackers, or processed sweets like candy bars or sugary vegetables.
Know the risks of living low-carb. If you stay on a low-carb diet long-term, you could increase your risk for heart disease and cancer because you'll be eating so many products made from fat and animal tissue. Other less serious risks include:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Fatigue and poor concentration
- Constipation
- Bad breath
Other Diets
1
Follow the Paleo Diet and eat like a caveman. Sounds crazy, right? You won't have to hunt mammoth on the plains. Instead, you focus on eating the foods that our hunter/gatherer ancestors would have eaten, such as:
Grass-produced meat
Fish and seafood
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Eggs (omega-3 eggs enriched are best)
Seeds and nuts
Healthy oils like olive oil, walnut oil and coconut oil
2
Try a Raw Food Diet. Are you sick of slaving over a hot stove? Then stick to raw foods. The Raw Food Diet requires 75 percent of your dietary intake to be uncooked. Most people eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans. Follow these tips when you're on a raw food eating plan:
Eat a lot of iron. Good sources include tofu, cashews, almonds and legumes.
Stock up on calcium. Eat bok choy, soybeans, figs, tempeh and cabbage.
Take Vitamin B-12 supplements. You can also eat nutritional yeast, fortified breakfast cereals and fortified soy milk.
Eat omega-3 fatty acids. You can take a supplement along with eating flaxseed and walnuts. You should also use oils rich in omega-3s, like canola, soybean, flaxseed and walnut oils.
3
Follow the Sonoma Diet. If you love the flavors of wine country, then you will love this diet. The Sonoma Diet emphasizes whole foods and calls on you to ditch processed foods with added sugar, foods made from refined white flour and food containing saturated fats. Here's the lowdown on the Sonoma Diet
Start with Wave 1. Wave 1 is a lot like the induction period on Atkins or South Beach. You'll ditch the carbs in favor of foods like vegetables, nuts, lowfat cottage cheese and soba noodles.
Progress to Wave 2. In Wave 2, you can add fruit, a wider variety of vegetables, sugar-free sweets and 6 ounces (175 ml) of wine daily.
End on Wave 3 when you reach your goal weight. On Wave 3, you can pretty much have any food that isn't processed or full of hydrogenated fat. Reserve sweets for special occasions, and seek out exotic vegetables and fruits to keep things interesting.
4
Join a commercial diet plan. If you prefer to eat whatever you want and to meet weekly with other people who are losing weight, then try Weight Watchers. If you prefer prepared meals so that you don't have to cook, try Jenny Craig or NutriSystem.
Burn Calories
Introduce basic aerobic/cardio exercise. Start with a small goal of 20 minutes, 3 times per week if your aren't exercising at all currently. Try these steps to get yourself going:
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Buy a pedometer. Attach the pedometer to your belt and try to take 5,000 steps daily. Move up to a goal of 10,000 to 15,000 steps as you get in better shape.
Invest in good shoes. Go to an athletic shoe store and buy shoes designed for a specific sport if you are trying an activity like running. Otherwise, just buy some good all-around cross-training shoes. Spend some money; your health is worth the investment.
Start by walking. Walking around your neighbourhood costs nothing and is a great way to start moving. You can also try other low-impact exercises like swimming,,riding a bike or slow running.
2
Work out on machines at the gym. You can use a treadmill, an elliptical trainer, a stationary bike, a rowing machine or a stair climber. Start with short sessions and gradually add minutes as you get more fit. Also, use the settings on the machines to increase the intensity as you lose weight.
3
Take a class. You can take a traditional aerobics class or try something different, such as:
- Kickboxing: Kickboxing combines moves from martial arts, aerobics and boxing for a great cardio workout.[16]
- Jazzercise: Every Jazzercise group dance fitness class combines dance-based cardio with strength training and stretching to sculpt, tone and lengthen muscles for maximum fat burn. Jazzercise is a fusion of jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, and kickboxing.[17]
- Zumba: Zumba combines Latin music with easy dance moves. Because it alternates fast and slow movements, Zumba is a great vehicle for interval training.[18]
- Pilates: These exercises developed by Joseph Pilates are designed to strengthen your core muscles and lengthen you limb muscles. Many dancers use Pilates as part of their fitness regimens.
- Yoga: Yoga will help you to improve your breathing and mental focus while also increasing your strength and flexibility. Yoga is also a great stress reliever.[19]
- Martial arts: You can go for something traditional, like karate or taekwondo, or you can try something more modern like mixed martial arts (MMA).
- Boot camp: A boot camp workout will employ calisthenics like pushups, lunges and crunches as well as sprints or other interval training based on military boot camp training.
4
- Get into strength training. Again, start small, aiming for 1 or 2 15-minute sessions per week until you feel motivated to do more.
- Do exercise that work multiple muscle groups. If you do exercises that work out large groups of muscles instead of focusing on specific muscles, you'll save time and actually burn more calories. Try some of these examples:
- Start with squats paired with an overhead dumbbell press to work your lower body and upper body at the same time.
- Perform resistance exercises while sitting or reclining on an exercise ball. You'll strengthen your core while simultaneously working on other areas.
- Use machines and free weights. These tools tend to focus on particular muscle groups like the arms, shoulders, thighs, glutes and upper back. Do these more focused exercises after you work on exercises for multiple muscle groups.
- Rest at least one full day between strength training workouts so that your muscles can recover. Recovery will help you to avoid pain and injury.
5
Play a sport. Join a local volleyball team or softball team, or join a tennis league.
6
Enlist a personal trainer. A personal trainer will provide a customized workout for your fitness level and your goals. Look for someone from the American College of Sports Medicine or from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Stay Motivated
Make a bet with a friend or group of friends. Commit to losing a certain amount of weight by a certain date with the caveat that you'll pay up if you don't lose. You may enjoy starting up a Biggest Loser Club at work or with your friends, or you can investigate a weight loss betting website like HealthyWage.com.
Set mini-goals. Instead of thinking that you need to lose 20 pounds, think that you want to lose 1 to 2 pounds this week. Or you can focus on non-pound goals like skipping after-dinner snacks this week or only drinking alcohol on weekends.
3Give yourself non-food rewards like a sports trip with a friend, a manicure or pedicure, a massage or a trip to the movies when you meet your mini-goals. Get yourself that new shirt that you've been wanting if you meet your goal of losing a pound this week.
4 Enjoy a treat now and then. If you're attending a party or going out for a special occasion, allow yourself an indulgence. Just make sure that these "indulgences" don't become daily habits.
Tips
Really do it, don't go back to your old ways again-or you'll gain back all the fat!
After you exercise, drink lot of water. This will make you go to the washroom and flush all your worn out weight.
Feeling good isn't just about weight loss. People who lose weight often find themselves wanting to not only shed pounds but also to shed old habits and feelings. Listen to what your heart is telling you, and do the things that make you feel good about yourself. You are more than just a number on a scale.
Everyone's body is different due to genetics and past/longtime fitness levels, etc. Do not try to have the samebody as anyone else. Your ultimate fitness goal should be to better improve the body you have. You would be amazed at how many people silently want your body while your wanting to look like someone else.
Take a long relaxing walk in your favorite part of the day.
The best time to weigh is after you wake up and have used the restroom. (Before Breakfast).
Don't start a weight loss journey alone. Find support from friends and family members who may also want to lose weight, or join a weight loss support group in your community. You can also find support in many online weight loss forums.
If you start gaining weight don't panic, it might be muscle weight.
- Instead of drinking 120-140 calorie milk, try 60-90 calorie almond milk.
- Don't eat at least an hour before you go to bed. Your body loses weight less at night because your body is resting, thereby not burning as much calories as in the daytime, when your moving around.
- [Weigh yourself daily and then average your weight over 7 days. Focus on creating a downward trend as opposed to losing a certain amount of weight per week. You may gain weight some weeks, especially if you're female (because of water retention related to your menstrual cycle), for reasons that have nothing to do with your healthier habits.
- If you're breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before starting a weight loss program. Losing weight too quickly could cause you to produce less milk.
Warnings
- You don't need to lose weight if you're already in your healthy weight range. Embrace a realistic body and focus on health instead of on perfection.
. Avoid losing more than 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kg) per week whenever possible. Faster weight loss may cause you to lose muscle mass instead of fat. Also, people have more difficulty maintaining rapid weight loss over the long term.
Things You'll Need
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