When you take all the available weight loss information out there into account, you may soon feel confused. That is understandable. You need to start simple to get the best long-term results. Below you will find some easy, and fast, tips to get you started on your weight loss path.
A good way to drop weight is to drink only water and no other beverages. Juice, coffee, soda and tea are drinks with lots of calories. Water on the other hand does not contain any calories. It is also inexpensive, and helps you feel less hungry.
When you’re watching your weight, try to make smart choices at the fast food restaurant. Luckily, that’s much easier to do now. Instead of the double burger with cheese, go for the grilled chicken filet sandwich. Also, ask for easy or light sauce, or no sauce at all, which will cut way down on calories. Order one of the salads, but go easy on the dressing – or better yet, dump the dressing in the lid and dip your salad into the dressing a forkful at a time.
If you’re serious about taking off the pounds, just remember that those delicious high-fiber bars and shakes won’t fill you up in the way that a baked potato with salsa will. Convenience diet foods are just that–convenient–and can be used when you don’t have time to make your own foods. But if you want to have the most control over what you eat, you will have an easier time losing weight if you eat real food and make (or at least assemble) it yourself.
One great weight loss tip for someone with a busy schedule is to buy bagged, cut up vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. They are easy to grab as a healthy snack on the go or to put into salads for a meal. The best part is that they are fresh and have not been frozen or cooked.
A great way to lose weight is to start swimming. Swimming burns a lot of calories because it involves the entire body, whereas something like cycling only utilizes the legs. Try to find a gym that has a swimming pool, or if you have the money, you can build your own.
Staying busy can help keep your mind off of food. If you’re sitting around doing nothing, there’s a good chance you’ll start getting the urge to eat. Keeping busy will stop this from happening.
Breaking up large weight loss goals into smaller increments can be a great motivator. If you want to lose 50 pounds then you could break that into easier but smaller goals of a few pounds each. This makes it easy to see the progress you have made. Don’t forget to celebrate your mini-goals as you attain them.
Think positively when embarking on a weight loss plan. Don’t view foods as ‘bad’, rather, think about them as something that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle anymore. If you have the mindset that certain foods are forbidden, the temptation will be too hard to resist. Instead, focus on all the great new foods that you will be trying out. This will give you a sense of empowerment that will really help you when trying to lose weight.
You’re in a business lunch dilemma. No way to get out of the lunch, but you don’t want to screw your diet up. What should you do? Luckily, most restaurants now mark which of the menu items are healthy, some even have the calories and fat grams on the menu. If you know where you will be eating beforehand, visit their website to get the information you need.
If you are trying to lose weight, get in some exercise anytime you have the opportunity. Even if you have a busy work schedule, you may be able to get in a short walk during lunch or do a few sit-ups or lunges during your coffee break or on your way to the restroom.
Try using a napkin to remove all the grease that you from a pizza slice to lose weight. Pizza is usually healthier than other types of fast food, but even so, you don’t need to eat a ton of grease.
To encourage yourself to stay focused on your weight loss goals, give yourself non-food rewards. After reaching a goal, you could treat yourself to a spa trip or a new piece of jewelry. People often use their success as a reason to break their diet. Giving yourself a reward that isn’t food can keep you feeling positive and help you to resist future temptations.
Want to burn the most fat? Exercise before breakfast. When you wake up in the morning, your body doesn’t have as much glycogen/stored carbohydrate to use as energy–which means it will burn fat first. According to one study of runners, two thirds of calories burned before breakfast are fat calories.
If you occasionally want to indulge in a high calorie treat, plan for it. Consider your indulgence as part of your diet plan and make more sensible choices for the rest of the day. An occasional treat won’t ruin your diet if the rest of your meals are full of healthy fruits, vegetables, grains, and lean proteins.
If you are currently trying to lose weight and plan a new menu to stick to, you would do well to check out the Glycemic Index. This is a long list of foods and their nutritional values, like how many carbohydrates a food item has or how many calories it has. Eat foods that are low on this list and weight-loss is a lot simpler.
When you use these weight loss tips, along with your own program, you will get the best results in the least amount of time. Every person is different and not every program is right for everyone. These tips, however, are universal. When you keep them in mind you will have nothing but success.
