Set small goals
Be realistic and not overly aggressive when making your
weight loss goal. It’s OK to dream big. If you want to lose 30lbs plan for
smaller increments. Plan on losing 5lbs at a time. They are easier to reach and
small successes are still successes. Don’t get me wrong, keep your big goal in
mind but try reaching it with baby steps.
Diet is everything
You can work out all you want but if your diet isn’t right
it won’t work. This is probably the most important part of losing weight. Your
diet is the key to your success. Most people don’t think of it as a necessity
because they already work out but you can probably lose more weight by diet
alone. There are many diets out there (Adkins, Slimfast, etc.) but those are
just temporary. You want to make this a lifestyle change because there are so
many benefits to eating healthy. Check out the internet for healthy foods to
boost your energy level and metabolism. Find some healthy foods that you like
or venture out and try some new ones. I never thought I’d like avocado’s but I
gave them a try and now I’ve made them part of my diet.
Find a workout program that's right for you
Running is a great way to lose weight but if you hate
running then you’re most likely to quit. You want to find something that works
for you, something you’re going to enjoy. If you enjoy dancing you should try
salsa or maybe zumba. And girls, don’t be afraid to pick up some barbells.
Muscle can look sexy ;p even on women. I myself really enjoy Les Mills Pump by
beachbody. Like I said, you want to find something you can have fun with.
Reward yourself
When you reach one of your mini goals go ahead and reward
yourself but not with foods! You don’t want to undo what you just worked so
hard to achieve. Take yourself out to the movies or buy a DVD, or even a book
(whatever you would consider a material reward).
Have a visual
There are several different ways you can make a visual of
your weight loss. One example would be to take before and after pictures. I
know this is hard for a lot of people but you have no idea how good this can
be. I hate taking pictures of myself but I did (granted it took me about 25
tries before I found one I kind of liked) and quickly tucked it away in a folder
where I would forget about it. Take pictures every time you reach one of your
goals and keep them in a folder on your computer. You’ll see some drastic
changes pretty quickly.
Another idea for a visual would be to fill a mason jar with beads or marbles with the number of pounds you want to lose and another jar where you keep the beads or marbles that you’ve lost.
Another idea for a visual would be to fill a mason jar with beads or marbles with the number of pounds you want to lose and another jar where you keep the beads or marbles that you’ve lost.
Weigh yourself regularly
I know most people tell you not to weigh yourself more than once per week but that’s just a bunch of bologna. If you weigh yourself either daily or every other day you can see what your progress is and you can see what kind of effects your food intake has on your weight. You can usually pinpoint what caused you to gain weight on a particular day.
