You may or may not have read that I recently decided that I had to lose weight. The choice wasn’t totally up to me, as I have been saying I was going to lose weight for the past year now and never managed to. During my annual doctor visit, I was told that my blood sugar and cholesterol levels were a little high and if I didn’t manage it, could cause major health problems. She informed me that if I lost about 10-15 lbs, those elevated numbers would go down.
That was all I needed to hear.
I quickly went on a weight loss mission. And not one that was a “temporary fix” but something that I could do for the rest of my life as a lifestyle change. It’s been 3 weeks since I began my weight loss journey and I have lost a total of 10 pounds—-which is a lot in a short period of time, but I have been doing it without starving myself. So I thought I would share with you my 5 Fab Tips to Help You Lose Weight.
Tip #1: Get Moving
Losing weight is hard. Your body’s instincts are to hold on to your weight, not let go of it. So for many of us, actually losing 1 pound takes a lot of work. Just watching what you eat isn’t going to be enough. Eventually, your body will plateau and resist losing weight. You have to get active. That means, moving around, increasing your heart rate and getting your body in motion. You can start with just 10 to 20 minutes a day and work yourself up to a full hour. I like to have fun exercising, so I like to dance. Zumba comes in handy, because I am not only moving around and increasing my heart rate and burning calories, but I am also having fun. Zumba is something that I look forward to doing, not the other way around. So find something fun that you like to do (and keeps you moving) and do it!
Tip #2: Monitor Your Food Intake
Writing down or keeping track of all of the foods and drinks you take in on a daily basis is an eye opener. When you are writing down these calories, you actually see what you are putting in your body. I am on a 1200 calories a day diet and in order to stay within this range, I put everything in my phone. After awhile, you get a sense of what calories are in what and it gets easier.
Tip #3: Read Labels
I am a major label reader now. Nothing goes into my cart at the grocery store anymore that I don’t read the label for. Knowing how many calories and servings are in the food I eat lets me know what I can and cannot eat. And you would be surprised at what foods you think are good for you that are really not. Everything about the foods you buy in the store can be found on the label, and it will make you more aware of what you are putting in your body.
Tip #4: Don’t Stress Over Weighing Yourself
I am a person that likes to go on how my clothes feel as a measure of my weight loss. If I see that my pants are looser and my shirts are bigger, I know that I am losing weight. I have tried to lose weight before and I was so into what the scale said—and when I didn’t lose anything for a week or 2, I would get discouraged. So I don’t get too hung up in weighing myself. I weighed myself at the beginning of my weight loss journey and for the first time a few days ago after two and a half weeks of changing my lifestyle. I probably won’t weigh myself again until 2 more weeks have passed. Seeing that my clothes are fitting better mean more to me than seeing the numbers on the scale.
Tip #5: Support is Essential
Having people in your corner who support your weight loss efforts is important. My entire family has rallied behind me and my weight loss, so they do not pressure me to eat things that I shouldn’t be eating. I also have a few friends who also have my back and cheer me on when they see I have checked in on Foursquare to the place where I workout at. It’s that support that helps me stay in the game.
Tip #6: Allow Yourself A Cheat Day
I have one cheat day every week, usually on a Friday. And it’s on this day that I eat one meal that I really want. It doesn’t mean that I eat junk all day and act like a pig. I just eat something that I normally wouldn’t eat that may be above my calorie limit for the day. I think you have to allow yourself to do that because then, you have something to look forward to, and you won’t be triggered to gorge yourself on a daily basis. That one meal once a week gives me comfort. And then the very next day, I am back on it!
I am by no means an expert, but I did want to share what has been working for me so far. I will check in with you in a few weeks and update you on my progress.
What are your weight loss tips you’d like to share?
P.S. I didn’t even take a before picture so I could monitor my progress. BOO! But I will post some after pics in a few weeks once I’ve slimmed down a little more 🙂
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