Top 10 Weight-Loss Tips & Tricks!
1.) Weight loss IS a marathon Not a Sprint: It took you X amount of years to put on those pounds they aren’t going to leave without a fight, slow and steady will win the race.
2.) Know your starting Point: What do I mean by this? Know where you are. Whether your goal is to get lean and ripped or to simply lose a few pounds and inches over the summer, know exactly where you are beginning. Take measurements, to keep this simple I will list of my top 5 measurements to track: Weight, Chest, Arms, Waist at Navel, Thigh. Since you now know your start, you can finally see where you’re going. Week by week you can monitor these and make changes where we want them. If you goal is weight loss and you haven’t seen a change in your scale, and body measurements, and your clothes are fitting the same or worse then maybe it’s time to make some changes.
3.) Keep a Food journal: By keeping track of what you eat throughout the day, it can make you self aware that of what you have eaten. You can also look back at your journal and see what might have affected your weight plateau. If you’re into counting calories and macros, this is a tip you should definitely follow you can take a step back look at what you have eaten and adjust.
4.) Eat healthy foods: It goes without saying. But to put into perspective for the same amount and sometimes less calories, healthy food generally provides more QUANTITY than unhealthy foods.
| 1 Glazed Donut at Dunkin Donuts | 1lb of Strawberries |
| 260 Calories14 g of Fat31 g of Carbs
3 g of Protein
|
145 Calories 1.4 g of Fats34.8 g of Carbs
3 g of Protein
|
Not that you’re going to eat 1lb of strawberries, but you can get a lot more healthy foods for less. And more is always better when watching your intake.
5.) Resistance/ weight training: This goes out especially to the women that spent countless hours on the treadmill and elliptical, although cardio is important it is not the total answer to weight loss. Many people blame being overweight on their metabolism. With resistance training, you have the ability to build lean muscle. This in return can increase your metabolism. How? Muscle is always active, unlike fat, muscle itself undergoes various processes. This requires energy and therefore burns calories. By adding 1lb of lean muscle you can boost your metabolism and increase your caloric demand by ~50-60 Calories/day. That’s an extra 60 Calories that you are burning throughout the day, just by sitting at your desk.
6.) Cardio does NOT always = RUNNING: Cardio should always be a part of your training regimen. It offers many more benefits than simply weight loss. But it doesn’t always necessarily have to equate to running, by simply walking 1 mile you have just burned off ~100 Calories.
7.) Cheating is okay: A cheat day, will affect you, it can even add a pound or two, but it will keep you sane in the long run, remember this is a marathon. And if you’re keeping a clean diet your weight will normalize within a day or two…. I suggest having a cheat day after at least 7 or more days of keeping a clean diet. Don’t plan for it, just make sure you’ve kept a clean diet for at least 7 days, you can take note of these days in your journal, that way if you friends want to go out or you want to have an extravagant dinner with your wife or husband you can go ahead and do it. Don’t let living a clean healthy lifestyle take control of your life. A cheat day can also keep your metabolism in check, from slowing down.
8.) More Water: There have been studies that have shown that drinking water before a meal can reduce your appetite. This is a simple tip; I’m not going to give you a number or a quantity of how much water to drink but just a tip to drink water. Water fills you up. Now I’m not saying go on a water diet, but keep hydrated throughout the day, and you will notice a difference in your hunger and appetite.
9.) A Small Loss Can go a Long way: Aim to lose 1-2lbs a week. This may not be big number but they will eventually add up. In a month you can loose 4-8 lbs, and in just 5 months this may add up to over 40 lbs. Remember the journey to weight loss is a marathon, and you shouldn’t start out a marathon in a full out sprint. Losing too much weight at once can lead to a drain in energy, and loss in lean muscle mass, and muscle mass is key to losing weight.
10.) Don’t do it alone: The number one key of weight loss is sticking to the plan. Don’t get discouraged and don’t give up. By attending group classes or even going to the gym with a friend, you can increase the likelihood of staying on tract. It is much easier to cancel going to the gym by yourself, than to cancel on your friend or instructor. Attending group classes can also be a great way to socialize and meet new people with similar goals.
Research by Brayan Lopez, HFI
Sources:
http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_weight_loss.htm
http://lifehacker.com/5690919/drink-water-before-a-meal-to-reduce-hunger-seriously
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823142929.htm
http://www.fitsugar.com/Benefits-Cheat-Days-20263088
http://www.weightism.org/thread-1932.html