When it comes to losing weight why is it that we always want to look for that magic pill or wand that will help us melt away those unwanted pounds?
There really is no special trick that is going to work for you. Instead you need to approach weight loss sensibly. Use these 10 weight loss tips that work to help you lose weight and learn how to eat correctly.
Contents
- 1) Eat Less Processed Food:
- 2) Target the Five a day rule:
- 3) Keep on Snacking:
- 4) Don’t put any food on the banned list:
- 5) Get active:
- 6) Set small goals and reward yourself for meeting them:
- 7) Don’t be too hard on yourself if you fall off the diet wagon:
- 8) Drink Water:
- 9) Keep a food diary:
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1) Eat Less Processed Food:
Processed food contains a lot of hidden fats, sugars and salt – which are all diet disasters. You want to aim to eat as many natural foods as possible. These would include fruit, vegetables, nuts and pulses. Avoid refined carbohydrates and throw out any white foods such as bread, pasta or rice. If you do want to include these in your diet choose brown rice and pasta and whole wheat breads. By eating more freshly prepared food you will eliminate these hidden calories and thus begin to easily lose weight.
2) Target the Five a day rule:
Studies have shown that you can reduce your risk of a stroke by over 10% if you reach the five a day mark when it comes to eating fruit and vegetables. If you could actually eat more, your risk of a stroke decreases further. Fruit and vegetables are dream foods as they contain very little calories so can be used to fill you up if you are hungry. Aim for a minimum of at least 5 servings a day, limit 2 servings to fruit and the rest for vegetables.
3) Keep on Snacking:
As with anything, the minute you go on a diet, your snack cravings will probably kick in. The worst thing you can do is to ignore them as they will only become stronger. Instead indulge them. Set yourself up with a stock of some healthy snacks such as carrot sticks, cucumber strips, nuts etc. and when the urge to snack happens you have a supply ready.
4) Don’t put any food on the banned list:
This only makes it more attractive and you will end up with cravings. Instead allow yourself a small treat every day. This means a square of good quality chocolate or a spoon of cake. But be careful. Don’t be tempted to eat the whole cake or candy bar in one sitting.
5) Get active:
We often snack on food when we have nothing better to do. One excellent weight loss tip is to get active. If you are out playing tennis, it is rather difficult to be eating a packet of chips while hitting the ball. Not sure what activity to choose? Do something simple such as taking your dog for a walk, or go biking with your kids. Try to get your friends and family involved and go have some fun. Don’t think of it as exercising, instead enjoy some quality time together!
6) Set small goals and reward yourself for meeting them:
We often set ourselves up for failure by setting impossible weight loss goals. Instead set small goals and give yourself a non-food related reward when you hit these targets. A series of small successes will spur you on to greater achievements. Small goals could be things like not drinking a soda for 5 days straight, or cutting out one teaspoon of sugar from your morning coffee. Then reward yourself with something such as getting your nails done, buying a new book or enjoying a long soak in a bubble bath.
7) Don’t be too hard on yourself if you fall off the diet wagon:
It is a setback not a disaster. Start back onto that diet as soon as you can. Just don’t get into the habit of falling off the wagon too often. If you do, you will need to re-evaluate why it is you want to lose weight and what is setting you up for trouble.
8) Drink Water:
You know you need to drink 8 glasses a day so make sure you start today. Don’t use fizzy or flavoured waters as they contain hidden calories and can cause bloating. If you don’t enjoy water try drinking herbal teas instead, just make sure they are caffeine free.
9) Keep a food diary:
It is impossible to lie about how much food you have consumed if everything you have eaten is written down. This will help keep you on track and you can see where you go wrong. You may find that a certain day of the week or month becomes stressful for you. This will help you plan for these days and figure out ways to manage.
10) Keep things in perspective:
We know you want to lose weight and these weight loss tips will help. But do keep things in perspective. Don’t make yourself miserable in your quest to become slim. Remember it took time for you to put all that weight on, so it won’t come off that quickly.
