When you think about losing weight or the many different times you have tried to in the past, you probably see it as a real fight even just to lose a couple pounds. Before you come up with another fad diet or exercise regime to try, you first need to try and change your mindset. Successful weight loss is not a phase or a set period in your life, it is a complete change in your way of life.
Shopping
One simple change you can make to your diet is switching to wholemeal alternatives in foods such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes. The whole grains in these foods are much better for you and your digestive system, will keep you feeling full for longer, and they also taste great.
Do you ever take the time to read the nutritional value on food packaging? When you are doing your shopping, you may think that you are picking up healthy foods but don’t be fooled. If you read the nutritional information you will often find that the foods you thought were good for you have high salt, sugar or fat contents. For example, it is commonly thought that foods like flap jacks and breakfast cereals are good for you because they contain oats, wheat and bran, but in fact flap jacks have a high fat and sugar content due to the butter and syrup, and most breakfast cereals are also very high in sugar. Find out what the average daily allowance should be for a healthy diet and pay attention to the nutritional values of what you buy. This will also give you a better idea of what sensible portion sizes would be.
In addition, you should always look for healthier alternatives to the items you would normally buy. These may not seem very appetizing at first but if you stick with them, you will soon get used to the slightly different taste and in time you will hardly notice the difference at all.
Any kind of diet pills or extreme weight loss plans are a waste of your time and money. If you have tried a variety of different diets in the past and they haven’t worked for you, then it is highly unlikely that any you come across in the future will work either. Even if they do work, you may have achieved your weight loss fast and easy but the results will be very short-lived and you will have probably done more harm than good.
Meal Choices
One of the best meals you can have when you’re trying to lose weight is a salad. This sounds terribly boring, but there are so many different varieties you can have. You can experiment with different toppings and they always taste a lot better than you may imagine. They do not just have to consist of the basic lettuce, cucumber and tomato. There are so many fresh, uncooked vegetables you could use. Nuts, fruits and cheeses will add a wide variety of textures and flavors. Don’t think that because you are aiming for extreme weight loss that you can’t add bits of fried bacon on the top or a few croutons. Adding small amounts of your favorite extras will help you stick to and be happy with your change in lifestyle.
If you enjoy going out to eat, it can be difficult to keep it healthy. With so many tasty options on the menu, it is not always easy to resist temptation. Therefore, you should eliminate that temptation and have a rough idea of what you are going to order before you go out. That way you don’t have to look at the whole menu, or perhaps none of it at all. You can still pick a meal you enjoy but you won’t have to go through the mental torture of looking at the greasy appetizers or highly fattening deserts.
Environment
As much as you may enjoy it, it is a bad idea to eat while you are watching television or have other distractions while you are seated, such as when you go to see a movie, talk on the phone, or surf the Internet. If you sit at a table while you eat instead of on the couch in front of the TV, you are likely to consume far fewer calories because you will eat more slowly and thus be more aware of when you have had enough. If you are not thinking about it, you will just keep eating without realizing how much you are actually consuming.
Most people who are overweight have an issue with snacking. Snacking on the wrong foods or in excessive amounts in between meals is what usually piles on the pounds. If you love snacking, it is going to be very difficult to stick to a plan if you have to give it up altogether so instead, try swapping your usual snacks for healthier alternatives. Healthy snacks are the ones which contain more fiber and protein, like fresh fruit and nuts. They will help to reduce your cravings because they will stabilize your blood sugar and will also keep you full so you won’t always be rummaging through the cupboards for something else.
It really is simple to make small changes to your lifestyle which will make a permanent difference to your weight. You may find it difficult at first, but once you get used to eating healthily and start seeing the results it will encourage you to carry on. You will look and feel like a different person so don’t just imagine it, do it.a
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