You realize that the increasing numbers on your scale are indicating a weight loss intervention but you cannot find the motivation within to get up and leave the couch. You are absolutely sure that your obesity would land you in some kind of clinical emergency but you are just not ready to cross the bridge.
Well, welcome to the (weight) losers club, an out of the ordinary collection of a number of individuals who faced the same dilemma as you but they lost a hundred pound and more. What was the spur that made them achieve such a distinction? When losing half a pound seems an Everest and you seem to gain weight by minutes, what was the approach of these extraordinary women who were able to achieve their dream figures and lots more?
Here are some insider tips from such success stories that would inspire you to get better control of your body and enjoy the accomplishment levels of your counterparts, who did not land on Earth from some other planet, so if they could do it so can you.
1. Get the right lens on
Weight loss is an arduous and long journey, focusing the lens at the beginning of this drive would help you focus the target with efficiency. Therefore, it is important to set realistic goals in the beginning. Make practical and pragmatic goals specific to your physical fitness and health levels.
2. Take baby steps
It is a common observation that one would start with much zeal and vigor on the path to weight loss but all the efforts frizzle out quite early. The reason behind this fatigue factor is that the energy stores are spent with the adrenaline rush in the beginning and when this sprint is over, so is the motivation. Remember, weight loss is not a sprint but a marathon; you need the energy as well as the motivation supplies going. That is possible with small targets; lose half a pound the first week and build the targets.
3. Plateaus are part of the game
Plateaus are like highways and take them as milestones. Once you reach a plateau, be ready for a drive for at least a while to take the next exit. Bear in mind that this specific portion of the drive requires the same zeal and fervor to step on to the next level.
4. Stick to healthy inputs
Some women have reported sticking to their favorite food item and eating it religiously for every meal. The point to be noted here is that you must take up a healthy food option like a turkey sandwich with whole grain bread but weight loss on a constant consumption of donuts will not lead you anywhere.
5. Simplicity is the winning post
Simplicity makes your life easier; keep your food choices simple too. Simply cooked vegetables with a portion of chicken or fish and including fresh fruits instead of complicated desserts would save you some pennies and be easier for your health too.
6. Cut back the easiest of bad habit
Check out your bad habits, are you surviving on junk food, no physical activity or mounting up a sleep debt, let go of the habit that is convenient for you.
7. Improvise on your favorite meals
If you like to eat fries, start making them out of sweet potatoes or some other vegetable. Try replacing ice cream with frozen or flavored Greek yogurt, munch on some nuts instead of candies and go for dark chocolate instead of a milk bar. You do not have to depart with your favorite food, cobble together health-friendly choices.
8. Know what is coming and prepare for it
If there is a wedding coming up in your family or you are going for a girl’s night out on the weekend, prepare ahead for such an occasion. This preparation could be in the form of intermittent fasting or going no-carb for a day or even skipping a meal with a replacement meal drink.
9. Adopt smart snacking
Snacks are necessary, however neat and smart snacks is the latest fad. Almonds, walnuts, cheese, whole grain fruit bars, a grilled kebab, protein shakes, smoothie with low-fat yogurt etc are some of the smart choices for snacks. At least two snacks per day should be part of a healthy meal plan and can be indulged anytime when uninvited hunger makes an appearance.
10. Spend some quality time in the kitchen
Try to cook at least one meal a day yourself. That will not only improve your cooking skills but also keep you more aware of the ‘kitchen rations’ with better meal strategies for the next time. Spending time in the kitchen would inspire you with new ideas regarding refrigerator rationing and dry rationing.
11. Vegetables are your best friend
Vegetables are a source of complex carbohydrates and fiber, both of which help to maintain an equilibrium of blood sugar levels and insulin. This helps to curb hunger and satisfy satiety for longer periods than simple processed food items. The rawer the vegetables, the better for a vigorous gut, an act that helps you lose weight.
12. Packing up for late night shifts
If you are a working person, you are bound to end up in some late night shifts at your workplace. If you have a prior knowledge of such an occasion, plan and prepare some snacks that would last that time. This would help you munching on unhealthy food options when your sugars go down.
13. Refills are a big NO
One of the habits that overweight women report to be stuck with is their obsession with free refills at restaurants. If you want to cut some pounds from the total figure, let go of the refills and if you cannot do that, stick to simple water.
14. Do not leave room for temptation
Clear your pantry of any food items that are a temptation in difficult times, i.e. hunger cravings at ill timings. Replace them with low-calorie, healthy food items and lose some scale figures by this simple tactic.
15. Move it and lose it
You could lose weight without moving a muscle could be a marketing trick for some weight loss supplement but it does not work that way in real life. Exercise does not have to be boring, fortunately, there are plenty of exercise choices that effectively increase your metabolic rate and keep you in shape. Taking up an exercise regime accelerate the weight loss process, help you overcome plateaus, and is an essential factor for a lasting weight loss solution.
16. Missed meals are obsolete
Another awful habit that works against weight loss is missing meals and eating nothing at all. It puts your body in a stressful state, making it take hold of the stored fat. For a continued fat burning process, a continuous load on the body’s metabolic machinery should be added in the form of small but frequent meals.
17. Add more to munch time
It is observed that women who take frequent but small meals and snacks lose weight faster in comparison to the ones who stick to one meal a day. Starting from breakfast, lunch should be preceded by a snack and followed by an afternoon snack with a main meal in the early evening. The timings of the meals are important; there should be a gap of at least two to three hours between the last meal and bed timings.
18. Split your restaurant share
Affirmed by many women, sharing a restaurant meal with a friend leaves little leftovers to tempt you to overeat.
19. Order elegantly
Order more of salads and soup at the beginning of a dinner can save you some good amount of unnecessary calories that you might end up consuming among the chitchat with your friends. A delay of 20 minutes between the starters and the main meal allows your stomach to send signals to your brain to deal with the satiety center and you will be surprised at the sudden loss of appetite. Be cautious, you might want to place a small order after having your salad.
20. Buddy up with weights
It is generally believed that resistance training and lifting weights are not for women; well quite the opposite is true in this case. Women have a more fat to muscle ratio so even if they lift weights, they are not going to ‘bulk up’ as men do. Rather more results that are agreeable are obtained; the muscles are toned and once their tone is set, they are in motion even while at rest. This helps to burn more calories even at rest.
Resistance training adds other up shots besides weight loss; the mechanism strengthens the bone along with the well-built muscles, decreasing the risks of developing osteoporosis later in life.
21. Move while you rest
If you have fixed some rest days between the exercising days, plan some light physical activity during those days too. A light yoga or a walk with your friend, this kind of activity would help you overcome weight plateaus with ease.
22. Face the music
If you have a bad habit of binge eating and if you are serious about quitting it, the first step is to take responsibility for your actions. Recognize and identify your weak spots, then working on them would become easy.
23. Exercise does not equal zero calories
Often individuals are observed making excuses for their overeating sessions; I will do an extra mile tomorrow or I will do 20 more pushups. These are all lame and feeble justifications, which prove a weak defense against the extra caloric input. A strong willpower is an essence of weight loss and such apologies to yourself only weaken your resolve and self-discipline. Try to avoid these shortcuts.
24. Know your perimeter
A strategy to a beneficial shopping routine involves taking only cash in your wallet so that you can buy the necessary essentials and head back home. Another winning strategy is to shop in the perimeters of the grocery store, where the meat corner, dairy and produce sections are located. Avoid the central aisles, which mostly accommodate the ready-made and processed food items. Try to shop at the same store because you know what you need is placed where get the shopping done and leave.
25. Big batches are clever
The best policy to guard yourself against impulsive eating spells, especially if you are a working woman, is to make large batches of particular food items and store accordingly. For instance, seasoning your fish and chicken, storing cleaned and prepared vegetables are time savers when you are hard pressed for a point in time.
26. Cheating is absolutely essential
Yes, you heard it right, a cheat day without the guilt factor is essential. Losing weight can be a stressful process itself. Enjoying a cheat day with your favorite food once a week or two weeks takes off the pressure of a dieting ritual.
27. Dance to the beat
You must have seen a young woman dance away her extra pounds to her favorite music. Dancing is a sort of aerobics that keep your heartbeat up and help burn calories the fun way. So if you do not feel like going to the gym, do not spend your day sitting on a couch, instead, dance to the beat.
28. A treat is for losers
Do not accept treats in the form of a home-baked cake or cookies, we do not agree to treats while on a weight watch (unless of course, it is your cheat day).
29. Do not forget your water
Water is all rounder for any kind of cell functioning in the body. Keeping yourself hydrated at all times would give a boost to the metabolic functions and keeps your basal metabolism functioning at its peak. Water increases the resting energy expenditure by 24-30% within ten minutes and this effect lasts 60-minutes.
Drinking cold water enhances the weight loss property of water. Drinking a glass of water before a meal decreases your appetite, thereby making water the least expensive and hassle-free solution to weight loss.
