Losing weight can be a challenge for even the most determined person, especially when you hit a plateau, that infuriating period of time when you continue to eat right, exercise, and starve yourself, but don’t see the scale budge for weeks.
Or worse still, you go through all that, and see your weight go UP. Argh!
It is not easy, since metabolism and genetics as well as lifestyle all play a role in weight loss, but the only one you can control, or try to control, is the latter.
While the basic equation of weight loss is simple, you have to burn more calories than you consume, the trouble is that a pound gained is NOT equal to a pound lost. It is actually 2000 calories to put on a pound and 3000 to take it off.
The good news is that by adding a few new weight-conscious measures here and there every day to burn more calories, you can win the battle of the bulge and budge that pudge.
Increase your activity, and decrease your unnecessary calories. Portion size is key. If you get a bit nibbly, those 100 calorie snack packs can help.
The most successful dieters keep food journals to track exactly what they eat each day, and when. By becoming aware of your habits, you can see where you ‘lose control’ also where you can whittle down calories without losing out on nutrition. Also, the FDA is recommending a 2000 calorie a day diet, but is that really practical given how many of us lead a sedentary, inactive lifestyle? And it is 2500 for men!
Once you pinpoint your “hungry” times, you can head them off with healthy snacks like carrot and celery sticks with low fat dressing. Soup is also filling, and we often associate soup and salad with going out to dine and so we can feel really satisfied with a lot less food if we start each lunch and dinner in this way, and make sure to avoid any cream based dressings of soups due to the extra calories from fat.
Another method is to cut out all beverages other than water. Soda, juice, wine and beer add up to a lot of calories really quickly. They can also create havoc with your appetite, especially alcohol and it often giving people the munchies, or luring them into eating fattening snacks. Cutting out high-calorie beverages (including those supposed Vitamin waters that are full of sugar) and replacing them with water or seltzer, or adding seltzer to your juice or wine if you have to have it, make a refreshing spritzer, will make a major difference to your figure, while still supplying your body with the hydration it needs throughout the day.
Liquids will also make you feel fuller faster. Studies also show that milk can help you eat less and lose weight, plus help you metabolize your food better.
As for changing your activity level, you can take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from the stores so you will be forced to walk, and move your feet from side to side when you are waiting for a bus or train.
Gardening, yoga, golfing, can all help you boost your calorie burn, plus, anything that gets you out of the house and away from the fridge is a bonus. Also, building lean muscle can help you speed up your metabolism, because your body will run more efficiently and burn up calories faster as a result.
You can also work different parts of your body each day, for best results. Try some of the workout programs on Fit TV, yoga, weights, aerobics. Or rent the fitness DVDS from Netflix on topics like Abs, legs, and so on. Find the ones you like and do them in a daily rotation.
If you incorporate even a few of these changes into your daily routine, you will begin to see those stubborn pounds slowly melt away, and better still, stay away. You will also have more energy and more muscle, leading to a leaner, firmer, more efficient body.
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