If you acknowledge that you may have been slacking off in the fitness and health department of your life, and you’ve made the decision to make healthier choices, then you are definitely on the right track!
As we all know, losing weight is no easy feat. Aside from an effective fitness program you can easily achieve at Rec Xpress, dieting plays an important role in any weight loss regimen.
These suggested tips, along with the advice of a health practitioner, can help you lose those excess baggage:
Set Goals, Not Expectations
Losing weight begins with the mind.
Here’s the thing: no matter how hell bent we are in wanting to lose those extra pounds, we are only setting ourselves up for disappointment if we expect to look a certain way after x number of days.
Not only will you be disappointed, but you are also putting unnecessary pressure on your mind and body. This kind of stress is not what you need to put you on the right track.
Envisioning ourselves to be more fit, healthier, and living an active lifestyle are attainable goals that can quickly turn our lives around if we stick to it.
Forget Fad Diets; ANY Diet Works
Thinking of getting into that keto diet your friend was raving about? Or perhaps you’ve read that counting calories is the best way to lose those love handles and you’re ready to start a food diary to keep track of your food intake.
Spoiler: ANY diet works, as long as you stick to it.
A recent study conducted by JAMA discovered that popular diets have the same effect — losing weight — and the difference in the number of pounds lost is very minimal. The secret to weight loss is to stick to a diet that you are willing and can do.
Take into consideration your lifestyle and your budget. See what you can afford in the long run.
A Food Diary Works
No matter what diet you decide to do, keeping a food diary and keeping track of what you eat and drink will work wonders.
Most of the time we are not aware of the extra calories we consume during the day, especially when we are busy doing other things such as work and doing household chores. We can mindlessly drink a can or two of soda, unknowingly consuming excessive sugars that can
potentially lead to an increase in body weight.
With so many apps out in the market, a food diary is an easy way to monitor yourself. Some can even compute the number of calories you’ve taken in by day’s end. Next time you reach for that tub of ice cream at midnight, make sure to log it!
Don’t Keep Your Weight-Loss Goals a Secret
Let the people around you be aware of your efforts and campaign to lose weight. Getting their support and help during this time of changes and transitions are keys to a successful weight loss program.
Make it a family affair. For example, if your family is used to eating take-out every now and then, change it by going to the supermarket and together you can shop for ingredients to a healthy recipe you want to try. Prepare and cook it together and serve it for dinner.
Small Things Add Up
Thinking it’s okay to try that free sample at the grocery, or taking a bite off your son’s pizza can eventually add up, believe it or not. Those extra nibbles here and there are just added calories you don’t need at this point.
Keep this in mind: if you are not hungry and if the food is not in your meal plan, put it down and walk away.
Know Your Food Weaknesses
We all go nuts over a certain type of food. Whether it’s french fries, chocolates, or a bag of cheese-flavoured tortilla chips, knowing where you buckle down and give in is a surefire way to keep those extra pounds at bay.
Replace those highly caloric food choices with healthier options like vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. There are sugar-free dessert options out in the market that you can indulge once in a while (just make sure to check the calories). Keep these healthy fares in attractive containers in places that are easily accessible to you.
Don’t Skip Breakfast
There’s a reason why some consider breakfast the most important meal of the day.
Heartily eating at the beginning of a busy day ahead is much better than pigging out at dinner. The calories you’ve eaten at breakfast can be burned during the day. If you’ve consumed the same number of calories in the evening, you end up storing the calories instead of using it because pretty soon you’d be hitting the sack.
See Red
There has already been evidence of colors playing a role in food taste and flavour. Trick your mind into eating less by using red plates. Red signals danger, and this perception leads us to believe we should consume less.
Don’t Be Tempted by Trends
It’s easy to fall prey on those new fangled diets. They promise lasting results and make it seem so easy to do or follow.
Following trends can backfire on you and your efforts to lose weight. Stick to a diet plan that works for you, your lifestyle, and your weight goals. What might have worked for your friend may not work for you (and vice versa). In fact, what might have worked for you in the past might not be so successful to you now that you are older.
Your goal is to fuel your body properly and healthily. The schedule and manner in which you intend to reach this goal is entirely up to you.
Brush Your Teeth Earlier
To avoid snacking after dinner, brush your teeth earlier.
Eating after brushing your teeth will surely leave you wanting to spit the food out. It also has a psychological effect. You know your mouth is clean already and you don’t want to “mess it up” and brush again.
Buddy System
If you know someone who is on a similar journey as you are, buddy up!
Supporting each other through this weight loss journey is crucial and beneficial to the both of you. Having someone who have almost the same goals as you do makes the experience more worthwhile and much easier to cope with.
You also have someone who can remind you of your shortcomings along the way. The road to a healthier and fitter you can be bumpy and having your friend to nudge you to the right path can be a real life-saver.
Water, Water, Water
Studies have claimed that drinking ice-cold water can help speed up your metabolism and contribute to weight loss. Drinking a glass of water before a meal will help you feel more full and you end up eating less than you normally would.
Because water is basically zero calories, guzzling it down shouldn’t be a problem. Consider bringing a reusable bottle with you so you can easily refill it any water station. Add some pizzazz to the beverage: slices of lemon or cucumber can easily make water taste less boring and one-dimensional.
Drinking water reaps so many benefits — helps aid weight loss, keeps you hydrated, smooth and supple skin — there is no reason why you should be skimping on this liquid.
Prepare to Let Loose
It’s totally fine to veer off track sometimes.
You get invited to a party and a night of drinking and we all know that this spells eating and extra calories. Prep your body by consuming healthy snacks during the day so that you have some leverage come night time.
A meal of food you’d rather not eat on a normal day won’t hurt your efforts, just make sure to limit your nights of binging.
Make Reading a Habit
Reading labels, that is.
It is so easy to be fooled by the product’s advertisements. Yes, a cupcake may be sugar-free but what about its calories?
Reading the Nutrition Information can help you make wise and informed decisions about the food you buy at the supermarket. The front of the label is just there to entice you to pick up the product. Turn it over and study its caloric content, sugar, fats, and sodium.
It won’t hurt to read the ingredients, too. Food products list their ingredients in accordance to how much was put into the product; the first ingredient comprises most of the product while the last ingredient is the least.
Sweet Dreams are Made of These
Go ahead and fantasise about those chocolate bars and gummy bears. You will be more likely to not eat them in the end!
Just thinking about these sweet treats tricks your brain into believing you have actually eaten them because you’ve already had these sweets before. You are simply reliving the experience.
Cheat Meals Help
If you’ve been on a diet then you know that food choices can be quite limiting. Having a cheat meal once a week won’t harm your efforts of losing weight. It might even help you lose more!
When your body is used to eating certain types of food, suddenly having that juicy burger with a side of onion rings and a glass of soda will “shock” it and your revs up your metabolism.
Listen to Your Body
Pay attention to your body. More often we tend to ignore cues or signals that our body sends us because we are too distracted by other things or we simply ignore these signs.
Knowing when you are truly hungry or just bored can make or break your diet. Sometimes we eat because we have nothing to do and we reach for those chips or we head to the nearest fastfood joint. Listening to your body’s hunger cues is a crucial step to losing unwanted weight.
Also knowing when you are full is an important step to weight loss. Here’s a tip: when you feel you’re becoming full, stop eating. Your body has a delayed reaction to the food you just consumed. Wait a bit and you’ll most likely feel full after a while.
Don’t Skimp on Snacks
Snacks aren’t all that bad, when done right.
There are many products out in the market now that are 100-calories or less. Snackin on them in between meals once in a while is totally fine.
Another great snack are unsalted shelled nuts. The act of removing the shells helps you eat less of it. Because there is no salt, you don’t have to worry about sodium, too (sodium contributes to water retention).
Regardless of what diet you intend to engage in, a successful weight loss program is dependent on yourself alone. This, along with a fitness program tailored to your needs, are surefire ways to help get you on the right track.
Dieting can bring along many major lifestyle changes and regardless of what these may be, you alone are accountable for its success. Always keep in mind a few things before engaging in a new diet:
- Results don’t come overnight
- Consistency is the key
- A physically active lifestyle does wonders
- Keep everything in balance
Be a member at Rec Xpress and enjoy $12/week membership fees and enjoy the convenience of working out at any of our 5 locations. Enlist the help of our professional trainers to get your fitness program starting and ready to go.