6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use
Discover The Top 6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use… Today
When you’re trying to plan a diet, manage a weight loss plan, or just stay fit and healthy you should be trying to become as educated as you can about your body and the foods you put into it. That way you don’t make common mistakes that can ruin your progress or even have a negative effect on your health.
The only problem is that a lot of the information out there is a boring wall of text that can be a nightmare to wade through and navigate.
Popular medical and health websites have tons of valuable info but you could spend hours searching and not find the thing you need because of how irritating it is to sift through all the stuff you don’t want.
Superfoods for Mind and BodySo rather than bore you with page after page of information, here’s a quick list of some useful health and fitness related tips you can look to and follow along your weight loss journey!
6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use Number One
– Water and Hydration
These two guys up here are incredibly key to staying healthy. It’s not just a mantra that doctors and health gurus keep repeating because they feel like it, if you want to stay healthy you should be drinking plenty of water.
- The 8 Glasses Myth – Truth be told, there is no magical number that will give you exactly how much water you need daily. Sure 8 glasses is a good goal number, but the amount of water you actually need varies heavily on your body and your level of activity. If you’re exercising you should aim to drink more water to replace all the sweat you’re putting out from working to burn those calories!
- Why You Should Drink Water– Knowing that you should be drinking plenty of water is good, but knowing that you should doesn’t tell you why you should be doing it. Well for starters being 70% water your body needs plenty of it to maintain its basic functions. Water also helps to regulate blood pressure and body temperature, making it an important part of your general health.
- Speaking of Water for Your Health – Water is perfect for helping to reduce the risk of injury while exercising. It keeps your muscles and skin supple (reducing the risk of strain or damage) which is great especially if you’re doing any higher intensity exercised. Staying hydrated is also a key part of helping to prevent heat related conditions like heat stroke, so always drink up on a hot day!
- Don’t Let It Get Boring – For many people the hardest part of maintaining good hydration is letting their water get boring. Plain water is good, but water with a little bit of flavour can be a tasty alternative to straight out of the jug or tap. Try fresh fruit slices (citrus does well here!), honey, or specific water flavouring to prevent your water from getting too boring.
- Keep It On Hand– One of the biggest failings in trying to stay hydrated is forgetting to give yourself easy access to water, especially if you find yourself on the go. Try to keep a spare bottle in your purse, backpack, or gym bag if you know you’ll be out or if you’re worried you’ll forget try just keeping a case of water in your car in the trunk or under your back seat.
- Keep It Cold! – Another big problem with staying hydrated is dealing with warm water, especially on a hot day. Room temperature water is flat-out gross which can make it hard to drink. If you have somewhere to keep your water bottle that will help is stay chilled or have a water bottle that’s good to stay cold all day, use that. You could also simply freeze your water bottle the night before you know you’ll be out and about, giving you a nice, cold source of water that will stay the perfect temperature as it melts throughout your day.
- Skip The Caffeine – Caffeine is a natural diuretic which, in short, means it’s going to make you have to pee a lot. A cup of coffee in the morning will help get you started, but too much coffee (and this goes double for soda!) will end up losing you a lot of water throughout the day. If you absolutely don’t want plain water, try a cup of tea instead for less caffeine and other great health benefits as well.
A Soda Side Note – While flavourful and packed with caffeine for studying and all-nighters, drinking a can (or more) soda will often do more harm than good. Not only will you end up dehydrated from all the caffeine, which can make you more tired as your body struggles to function properly, but the sugar and caffeine crash that comes later can really mess you up. Once again tea is a good option, but if you absolutely have to have soda try alternating a can of soda with a glass of water to help mitigate its negative effects.
6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use Number Two
– Keeping Track
One of the key, core concepts of a successful weight loss plan is making sure that all of the foods you eat and when you eat them are carefully planned and balanced. That’s not to say your meal plan is going to be set in stone, but having a good idea of what you need and when you need it will really help to keep you on track.
- Keep A Food Diary – Having a food diary is a great way to keep track of your food intakes over a certain period of time. Keep track by day, week, month, or any span of time you need so you can go over it later and see what kind of progress you’re making on achieving your healthy goals.
- All Things In Moderation – Depending on your level of activity and exercise as well as your dietary needs you should do your best to have an idea of the kinds of numbers you should be looking for with each meal. Know how many calories, carbs, fats, and other important food stats you should be aiming for each day and keep track of everything that’s in the foods you eat. This is why the food diary is such a great tool!
- Keep A Cheat Sheet – This is great for when you’re on the go or are planning on eating out. Try keeping a cheat sheet of your favorite foods and their nutritional facts with you (in your purse, wallet, or glove box are good spots) so you can reference it when you go to order or shop. When you know exactly what you’re buying or ordering, you don’t have to worry that you’re overshooting your goals.
- Write Up Your Meal Plan – At the beginning of your week, consider trying to write up a general idea of what you’re going to have for your meals each day. If you want to be meticulous you can even include a sidebar where you can add nutritional values like calories and carbs, adding them up at the bottom so you know you’re balancing your intakes. Even if you don’t follow it 100%, having a chart to follow will make cooking and planning much easier.
6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use Number Three
– Preparing and Portioning
This is something that you really need to get a handle on if you’re serious about losing weight. Binge eating and grazing are the enemy so don’t even take that chance. When you have your foods readily prepared and proportioned ahead of time, you can spend less time worrying and more time enjoying your meals!
- Baggies and Containers Are Your Friend – Don’t spend another second guessing at portions as you fill up your plate. By pre-portioning snacks and even entire meals you can have your favorite foods ready to heat and eat right out of the fridge or freezer. This is great for cooking at home or taking your food with you for snacks, lunches, and trips as well.
- Batch Cooking Is Also Your Friend – Batch cooking is a pretty simple trick that guarantees to save you time, effort, and energy. Rather than spend a ton of time cooking each individual meal, spend one (or two) day(s) a week cooking everything for the whole way and then portion your servings and meals out into their own containers. This works great with things you can cook a lot of at once like soups and stews.
- Plan With your Plate – When you’re planning out a meal it’s a good idea to use some plate portioning rules. A good carb portioned meal should be at least half non-starch vegetables, one quarter protein, and can have up to one quarter starchy vegetables or grains. Just make sure to tailor your plate planning to your specific dietary needs.
- Colours, More the Better! – If you worry your diet is getting bland, try spicing up your plate with more colours (and I don’t mean food colouring). A healthy plate of food should have plenty of fresh greens and other bright, garden colours. If you’re seeing a lot of white (pastas, potatoes) and browns (meat, breads) then it might be time to add some more colour to your meals.
6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use Number Four
– Your Daily Schedule
Weight loss isn’t just about what you eat, it’s about how much and how often you eat as well. Sometimes even just a small change to the way you’re eating can have a huge impact on how your body reacts to your weight loss plan.
- Get Started Early! – While you shouldn’t roll out of bed into breakfast waiting on your night-stand you should definitely make sure to eat something soon after you get up. Eating breakfast helps to kick-start your metabolism for the day and also gives you the energy you need to get through your morning.
- How Often Should You Eat? – That’s an important question and to be honest it’s completely up to you! Depending on your dietary needs and your daily schedule it can be more beneficial to you to eat several smaller meals throughout the day rather than two to three larger ones. The traditional “breakfast, lunch, dinner” routine works for some people, but if you’re, say, trying to manage diabetic blood sugar or are trying to micromanage your intake then smaller, more frequent meals could be what you need.
- Don’t Eat Then Sleep! – You might be thinking that eating before bed will cause your food to go straight to your hips, but while that isn’t true there are other hugely negative effects to eating before bed. Heartburn, disruptions to your sleep cycle, and high blood sugar are just a few of the things that can happen when you eat before bed depending on what you eat. Consider having an evening cut-off time for when you should cut off snacking before you go to lie down for the night.
- Snacking on the Go – This one is important if you know you’re going to have a tight schedule where you’ll be busy all day. If you don’t have the time to sit down for a full meal you should at least make sure to prepare some healthy snacks to bring with you. That way you’re keeping your belly full and keeping your metabolism in check until you can sit down for a real meal.
- Don’t Skip Out! – Skipping out on a meal might seem like a good idea to cut calories and fats out of your diet, but it can often do more harm than good in the long run. Not only are you depriving your body of the fuel it needs to function properly, but you’re also more likely to eat more than is healthy the next time you do have a meal. Not to mention how easy it is to make a bad food choice when you’re really hungry.
6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use Number Five
– Shopping
Unless you have a rather extensive garden then it’s pretty likely that you head to the store every once in a while to pick up groceries. This is just as important of a step in your weight loss as preparing and managing the foods you eat so here’s some tips for the next time you go to the store.
- Don’t Go Hungry! – The biggest mistake you can make when you go shopping for groceries is doing it on an empty stomach. When you’re hungry your food based decision-making skills tend to go right out the window in favour of “Ooh, that looks tasty” and the next thing you know you’re checking out with a cart full of pizzas and chips. On the flip side, don’t stuff yourself either because then nothing will look appetizing. Try to eat a moderately sized meal beforehand or carry something healthy to snack on when you shop to keep your mind focused.
- Go With A Specific List – This one can make or break a shopping trip. When you go shopping, especially on a diet or with specific food goals, it’s important to stay focused on what you’re picking up. Have a list of exactly what you need for the store and pick up only the things you need.
- Don’t Give Yourself Access – Specifically, to “danger” foods that you’ll have a hard time keeping yourself from buying. Know you have a weakness for cookies? Skip that aisle entirely (unless you need something specific from that aisle, then just maintain laser focus on that one thing). You can’t slip if you don’t give yourself the chance.
- Don’t Go Alone – Bring along someone to shop with you that knows about your weight loss plans or goals. This can be a friend, family member, or even a workout buddy that you’re on your weight loss journey together with. When you shop together you have someone to keep you accountable and warn you if you’re making a bad food choice.
6 Weight Loss Tips Anyone Can Use Number Six
– A Healthy Mindset
A healthy body houses a healthy mind, keeping a clear head and a positive outlook is the foundation of health and weight loss success. Here’s some good mindset tips that will keep you on the right track.
- One Mistake Isn’t The End – We’re all human, there’s no getting around that, and there’s not a person alive that can say they’re not tempted. Slipping up and straying from your diet plan is normal, but one mistake isn’t the end of the line. Recognize what caused you to slip, address the problem, and jump right back on the right path once you’ve handled it. Don’t let yourself give up because you feel like your mistake was the end of the world because it isn’t, which brings us to…
- Cheating Can Be Good! – Because we aren’t perfect, sometimes it’s actually better to give in and indulge every once in a while. When we sit there and spend all day denying ourselves the things we really love then we start to crave and obsess over them. Rather than locking that slice of cake or fresh cookie away in a safe, plan to have something to satisfy your sweet tooth every once in a while. That way you won’t be staring at your salad pining for a satisfying snack until you break under the pressure and binge. Just remember to exercise moderation, one slice of pie or a cookie or two should be a rare treat, not a common occurrence.
- Don’t Let Yourself Graze – This one is touch especially if you’re just getting started. Grazing or “mindless eating” can destroy progress by loading your body up with grease, fat, calories, and carbs. In order to avoid this, keep “easy” foods out-of-the-way or better yet out of the house altogether. Be wary of foods that are easy to grab a few at a time and, before you realize it, the container is empty. These include, but are not limited to: crackers, chips, candies, popcorn, and just about anything else that comes in an air-filled bag.
- Set Goals – This is hands down one of the most important things you can do when you’re planning for your weight loss. Set goals big and small (minor and major milestones) that you can look forward to and reach. Whether it’s wearing that once tight pair of pants or hitting a weight goal, mark down and keep track of these goals so you can see when you’re getting close to reaching them and get motivated by it.
- Celebrate those Milestones! – This is important, too. A lot of fitness guides and programs will say that the result itself is reward enough, but anyone that tells you not to celebrate being happy isn’t worth listening to. Just be sure that your reward for making good food choices isn’t bad food choices.
There are so many different facets to weight loss and fitness that it can sometimes be daunting no matter how far along your weight loss journey you’ve come.
[bottom_ads id=”2397″]Remember:
The key to staying healthy and reaching your weight loss goals is to stay focused on making good food and health choices while not letting yourself get hung up on the mistakes.
If you’re worried you won’t make it just take a look around and you’re sure to see how everyone is cheering you on until you finally reach that finish line and achieve the weight loss goal you’ve been working so hard towards!