Of course, this isn't going to be easy ? nothing worthwhile ever is. You should pat yourself on the back for making a commitment to yourself that you're finally ready to do this. So many people can't even make it this far. So, in a sense, you're already ahead of the game.
Your goal should be to lose one or two pounds a week, if you lose more than that, great, but don't push for it. You want to stay mentally focused, healthy and determined. If you push too hard, or try to force your body to lose big numbers, then you'll eventually stress yourself out and hit a wall that may lead to failure.
Here's some suggestions that you can use to create a successful weight loss plan:
Set a Reasonable Goal
Your first step should be to decide how much weight you want to lose. Get some 3x5 index cards and write one goal or positive statement down on each one. Start by writing down your ideal weight, this is your ultimate big goal.
Next, you want to set smaller goals for yourself. Write down a goal for losing five pounds, then ten pounds, twenty pounds, etc.
Write down some positive motivational statements about yourself.
?I love myself unconditionally?
?I'm a great person inside and outside?
?I'm going to smile and laugh today?
?I deserve this and I'm worth it?
Keep these cards where you'll be able to look at them every day.
Eat Smaller Portions More Often
Growing up you were probably taught to eat three meals a day. You were also probably taught to clean your plate. While this schedule of eating meals is well-intentioned, the fact is that you are going to get hungry between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner.
Not only are you probably having a large portion for each meal, but you are also snacking on junk food in between. Unfortunately, this way of eating leads to a lot of weight gain. It's been proven that if you eat several small meals during the day, you won't get hungry between meals and when you do, it's easier to snack on something that has less calories.
Plan to eat five small meals a day, instead of three, and see if that helps to curb your food cravings.
Keep a Food Journal
Just like a diary is a snippet of events that happen in your life, a food journal helps you to keep track of what you're really putting into your mouth on a daily basis. You probably have a mental picture of what you normally eat, but when you see it in writing, you may be surprised at all the extra foods you're eating without even thinking about it.
Write down what you ate, what time you ate it, and how you felt when you ate that particular food. Sometimes when we eat certain ?comfort foods? we're really trying to use food to fill up an emotional hole in our hearts.
Feelings of loneliness, boredom, stress, anger and low-self esteem are often triggers for food binging. Write it down and you can go back and evaluate it later.
Treat Yourself
When you reach one of your weight loss goals, go ahead and treat yourself to something special. The only catch is that your reward cannot be a food item. That's right, you will not have a bowl of ice cream or a big slice of pizza.
You want to mentally get away from thinking of food as a reward or a security blanket. So, think of some other things that will put a smile on your face. Money is always a good reward. Maybe you can create a reward jar and pay yourself five dollars for every milestone achieved. You could go on a nice shopping spree after you've reached your final goal weight.
You could also buy yourself some fresh flowers, a nice pair of earrings, a new video game, a new tie, etc.
Another great idea is to make up your own reward coupon books.
I hope these tips are helpful and that you are successful in creating a healthier and happier new you.
Free Fast Weight Loss Tip
People who want to lose weight firstly think about reducing the amount and types of food they eat.
This can be a solution but it is in no way the best solution for you. In fact, all depending on how much you reduce your calorie intake, it could be extremely dangerous for you long term health.
The question is how do you lose weight correctly, effectively and safely? Here are the first points you must consider when starting a weight loss plan:
You must say "No Way" to these crazy crash diets. Cutting right down on the calories we eat is what most people think of when they start a diet. The media and the big companies are squarely to blame for this. Each day we are overwhelmed with adverts pitching the idea that that low-calorie foods and diets are the solution to everything.
It seems to make perfect sense that the lower the calories we eat the better the diet will be. This is just plain wrong.
People need to know that this can be very, very dangerous because when they decrease their calorie intake way below the required levels, their body begins to digest body fats.
This may sound like it is exactly what you want but it is exactly what you don't want. The fact is that burning fat requires a lot of energy. On a low calorie diet your body does not have enough energy to facilitate metabolism of fat and it will run at a very slow pace resulting in serious issues. Having no energy, becoming dizzy, illness and a weak immune system are several of the many symptoms that can be experienced. A weight loss regime should not make you sick.
On a very low-calorie diet your body will also compensate by burning muscle. People on this type of diet usually feel unhealthy and also, almost always, go back to their old eating habits and end up gaining weight. And worse still, they usually gain more weight back.
Weight gain after dieting consists mainly of fats which have more volume per mass than muscle, and therefore gaining weight after an ultra-low calorie diet can result in the person being bulkier. When losing weight, you must understand that you should lose excess body fats only.
An effective weight loss tip and strategy is to eat small meals of food more frequently. Doing this, your body will not think that it is being starved and it will continue to run correctly. You must keep your metabolic rate high as this is the underlying principle in any successful weight loss strategy.
You must eat the correct foods. You have realized that crash dieting is the wrong weight loss strategy but you must watch what you are eating. A variety of foods must always be considered so that you get all the required nutrients from the diet plan you are on.
Another weight lose tip that is also much healthier is to eat food that is roasted, steamed or broiled rather than fried. Fried food always contains more unnecessary calories. It is also important to include a lot of fiber in your diet as you must keep your system working properly. Frequent water - approximately 8 glasses a day - will help keep you working correctly.
Pump Up lean Muscle Mass. Muscles burn calories when they work; they even do so at rest. Unlike fats which just lie around, bulge around the pants and dangle beneath the sleeves, muscles burn calories 24 hours a day. Knowing this simple fact, you can see that increasing weight loss equals increasing your muscle mass. The more muscles, the less fat will be left. The best way to achieve this is simple resistance exercises.
You should start some Aerobics exercise. Aerobics increase cardio-vascular endurance and they also help in increasing lean muscle mass while rapidly decreasing unwanted body fat. Aside from these benefits, aerobics increase the metabolic process which in turn allows the body to burn unwanted fat for longer periods.
Eating the right food and performing the right exercise will have you burning fat efficiently while driving along the freeway or even while watching television.
Using diet pills for an extra kick start. I have been told that smoking and drugs like caffeine are a weight loss strategy. While it may be true that some drugs may help with initial weight loss, the long term effects are almost always negative. As for the huge variety of diet pills and supplements on the market, I have tried many and I just do not recommend them.
To lose weight you do not have to sacrifice and suffer. What you do have to do is to open up to a fuller and healthier life where you will look and feel attractive, energetic, younger and healthy.
Some small adjustments are always required when losing weight, but as the old saying goes, "no pain, no gain." These weight loss tips and strategies will have you starting out the right way - use them.
Both Star Smith & Samantha C. Willett are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Star Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Iphone Reviews, Hypnotherapy and Forex Online. Melt away the pounds while you watch TV! You'll be amazed at how quickly you'll lose weight by spending just 15 minutes a day on the Tony Little Gazelle Elliptical Trainer. It's fast, easy and fun ? so get pumped!. Star Smith's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
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