- Water Water Water! People just don't seem to understand how essential it is to stay hydrated. Approximately 80% of Americans live in a constant state of dehydration. Not only can this cause medical problems, but your body will hold every ounce of fluid it can get. So I reccomend 64 ounces or more of plain ice water everyday. Adding a lemon wedge is fine and lemon is a natural diuretic, BUT NOTHING ELSE!
- Portion Control is key. Even if you are eating valuable foods you can still consume excess calories. My rule of thumb is use a 9 inch dinner plate and imagine it is divided into 4 equal sections. One section would be your lean protien like fish or chicken, one would be your whole grain such as brown rice, and the other two would be produce such as steamed veggies. This works well for most dishes and makes it simple to visualize proper portions.
- Don't try to completely give up your favorite foods. Many people have trouble sticking to a program because they convince themselves that they can never have pizza or cake again. You should think of losing weight not as a diet but as a life style change. Therefor, it must be livable and realistic. If you go to a party, have a piece of cake. If you are really craving pizza, have a slice or two and a salad with lite dressing. If you go into knowing that you can enjoy your favorite foods from time to time you will have much more success and prevent binge eating.
- Do something active everyday. Even if your busy you have to make time for yourself to do something active. Even if there are some days you just don't have 30 minutes or an hour to work out. It may only be 15 minutes some days, or 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night, or on your lunch break. Pop in your favorite CD and dance or walk stairs, anything that gets your body moving.
- Keep a food Journal. This can seem like a daunting task, but it is extremely important, especially in the beginning until you adjust and develop new eating habits. A simple notebook small enough to carry with you is fine. Just jot down everything you put in your mouth. You will find yourself resisting eating a handful of chips simply because you don't want to write it in the journal! Also, if you have a week that you don't lose weight or worse, you gain, you can look in your journal and compare what you ate that week to the weeks that you lost weight.
- Include your family. It is important to talk to your family about the efforts you are making to live a healthier lifestyle. You can easily make the meals you normally eat with your family healthier by simply using a different cooking method or by making some minor swaps for example: replace white rice with brown rice, use olive oil instead of other oils, when you make scrambled eggs remove some of the yolks, replace pasta with whole grain pasta, and make your own potato wedges by cutting potatoes into wedges and tossing them with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Spread them on a cookie sheet and bake them.
- Find a parter. Find a friend, relative, or co-worker that would like to lose some weight as well. When you commit to working out with a partner it's a lot harder to back out because you don't want to let each other down. You can compare food journals, results, even have weekly weigh ins.
- DON'T weigh yourself every day! This one is a big no no. You will be tempted to step on that scale every day, don't do it. Keep it in a closet, keep it at a friends house if you have to. Once a week is sufficient. Your weight fluctuates daily due a lot of factors such as water content, the time of day, etc. The best way to track your results is by measuring your self and by weighing your self once a week in the morning after you have gone to the bathroom, but before you eat or drink anything.
- If you binge, don't quit. If you had a bad day and you eat a whole pizza or something, don't give up. Don't beat yourself up over it, just move on and get on track with the very next meal. If you do that, you will be fine.
- Be patient. Don't expect dramatic results overnight. This isn't the Biggest Loser. Your not working out 8 hours a day so don't expect to lose 20 pounds in one week. I'm not saying that dramatic weight losses aren't possible, they are especially when you first make changes, I'm saying if you have a week that you don't lose, it happens. Your body has to go through it's processes, the key is to not get stressed about it or you will hinder you weight loss.
On this site you will find many programs that I have thoroughly investigated. I have weeded out the "junk" for you so that you can choose a program that is both good for your health and well being as well will actually help you reach your weight-loss goals.
