Achieving the ideal weight and staying there can be a difficult task for those that are overweight. It will take a real commitment on your part to make a real change. Many people understand about a healthy diet and exercise habits yet few actually apply them. Here are some simple tips to help you get to a healthier weight.
Set Goals
This is an important step and it is something many people that go on a weight loss program skip over thinking that it does not matter or make much of a difference. The reality is that creating proper goals can practically guarantee that you will lose weight. That is how powerful this can be if it is done right.
The initial step is to develop a clear understanding as to the main reasons you want to lose weight. Really dig deep and get down to the core reasons. It is fine and in fact recommended that you get emotional here because if your reasons are strong enough then losing weight will become much easier.
Once you have your reasons you must write them down clearly on a piece of paper or type them up. Putting these reasons on paper has incredible power that is difficult to explain but time and time again people that write their goals down have been shown to accomplish 100 times more than those that do not.
Next you need to decide what weight you would like to be at one month, three months and twelve months from now. Be reasonable and go for a loss of ten to fifteen pounds a month until you reach your ideal weight for your height. Again write these targets down on a piece of paper even next to your reasons. Now you must review these targets and reasons daily. This is critical to ensure that you stay on track so be sure to do this as it only takes a few minutes each day.
Exercise Properly and Eat Right
Do not get intimidated or discouraged by exercise. Remember that all it really takes is some movement on a regular basis and with a proper diet weight loss will be inevitable. It does not mean that you need to do a marathon each day but you do need to at least get some physical activity going.
Aerobic exercise is important and it can be done in many ways. You can take part in a sport like golf or tennis for thirty to sixty minutes a day to get your aerobics or you can go to a gym and use their equipment. Even a simple walk outside for an hour or so can be effective if the weather is nice. Again the idea is to move your body, you do not need to do any vigorous movements when it comes to aerobics in order for it to be effective.
Also make sure to do some weight training at least once a week or two to build up your muscles and keep them strong. Remember that muscle burns fat 24 hours a day so by adding some muscle to your body you naturally increase your metabolism so you can eat more and still not gain weight.
When it comes to your diet consider eating smaller meals more often. This will assist in maintaining a higher metabolism as your body knows it will be provided regular nutrition so it will not go into starvation mode where it tries to store fat. Eat about once every 3 to 4 hours and make sure that the sizes of the portions are smaller. Of course try to add more fruits and vegetables but really you can eat almost anything as long as you keep the portion sizes small. Follow some of these strategies to help you lose weight and keep it off permanently.
It's time to start looking like the person you are becoming. A few simple tips can change the way you look now and set the stage for what's to come. And this isn't vanity. There are good reasons to change your look while you change your body:
Looking better makes you feel better and more confident, which makes it easier to stick with your fat loss program.
The changes in your body may not be visible to others right away. Some people will use this to discourage you from becoming who you want to be. Looking slimmer and fitter right away will keep the naysayers off your back. People will start treating you better, giving you even more incentive to keep at it.
Self-help experts will tell you that one of the best ways to change who you are now is to be like the person you want to be. You want to be slim and fit, so start looking that way!
Ok. So there are definitely some good reasons to look better now while you are becoming better. How do you do it? Here are some easy secrets guaranteed to make you look better today:
Vertical Stripes and Patterns. Vertical stripes and patterns draw the eye up and down, which makes you look taller and thinner.
Watch Your Posture. Stand straight and tall with your shoulders back. When you slouch you look sloppy and make your belly bulge.
Choose clothes that Fit. Clothes that are too loose or too tight both make you look fat. Wear clothes that fit properly, even if that means you've got to break down and buy those pants with the 38-inch waist you swore you would never wear.
Wear Your Shirt Untucked. If you are in a casual situation, consider leaving your shirt untucked. People may argue about whether this is in style anymore, but it does hide a belly a lot better than a tucked-in shirt.
Consider a Polo Shirt. If you are a guy and unless your gut is really big or your shoulders really small, try on a polo shirt. The V shape that these shirts have (wider in the shoulders with a v-shaped neckline) tends to emphasize the V shape of your upper body and de-emphasize your belly.
And there you go. Five tips for looking great while you're getting rid of that excess fat. But remember that these are just temporary fixes. The goal isn't just to look like you got rid of that gut, but to actually do it!
Both Jitender Zaman & Bill Mann 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.