Top 12 Weight Loss Tips
Top 12 Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work
If there was a magic pill or weight loss was easy we would all be slim, happy and beach body ready.
However, thats not possible although everyone would love to think it is. Maintaining a healthy weight is challenging for many of us and we look to fab diets, weight loss supplements, books and even celebrities for a weight loss solution.
Weight loss does not have to be achieved by using the latest fad diet, weight loss supplements or buying books hoping for the secret answer - there isn't one! Making healthier lifestyle choices, changing some bad habits and exercises a little more can make a big difference to our waist lines.
Top 12 Ways To Lose Weight:
Below is our top 12 weight loss tips that actually do work and can get you into shape this year. If you have any questions, concerns or want to learn more just reach out and contact us today.
1 - Slow & Steady Wins The Race
Many fab diets want you to restrict your daily food intake to below 500 calories with the promise of losing many pounds in a matter of weeks. However, fat reduction this way is not natural and only leads to the fat cell shrinking and will later swell back up when you start to eat a normal diet again. Another issue with fab diets is the fact that you are not changing your lifestyle and therefore not able to learn new and more healthier lifestyle choices.
2 - Eat Slowly
Many studies have been carried out into individuals eating their food slower and those that eat at a faster pace. Researchers have found that you consume an extra 67 calories every meal when you eat too fast vs eating slowly and drink regular throughout your meal. This is because you haven’t given your brain a chance to tell your body that you’re full. Remember that saying when your were a child, "don't drink all your drink before your food or you'll not eat it all up". So, enjoy your meal at a slower pace and potentially lose 1Ib a month more, not to mention the extra pennies you'll save by eating less.
3 - Water Helps
It is recommended you drink a large glass of water before eating your food. A study from the university of Birmingham found that obese adults that drank at least 500ml of water before their meals lost an average of 9.48Ibs over 12 weeks. Thats just under 10Ibs of weight loss for only needing to drink a glass of water before eating your meal - now thats easy!
So get your fancy water bottles out and get guzzling - the more you drink the more you shrink!
4 - Emotional?
Everyday is full of stress, whether that be family, friends, work or relationships, its all too easy to resort to emotional eating. As the long day at work becomes too tiring or your struggling to wake up on a Monday morning, reaching for the cakes, chocolate, sweets or crisps is going to play havoc on your waist line.
Next time you feel the stress go for a walk in the fresh air and clear your head. For many clients this works well and can be more effective than eating sugary foods. Practice 10 minutes of mindfulness to help ease your stress or anxiety while at work. You can find easy to use youtube videos and apps within the app store that teach and educate you in practicing effective mindfulness.
5 - The Sugar Cycle
Sugary foods give you an instant sugar rush which makes you feel great! Although these are short lived and cause you to crash within hours of digesting the food. This can make you feeling more tired and drained, resulting in you being hungry and craving more sugary food. Its a viscous circle that keeps going around and around until you break the habit.
When you need that sugar hit we recommend swapping sugary sweets for fresh fruit, a handful of mixed nuts or natural yogurt. There are great sugar alternatives these days with sugar free sweets or eating more fruit. Simply making a larger main meal with lots of vegetables can make you feel fuller for longer. Vegetables are full of fibre and can help you stop you craving sugar.
6 - Processed Foods
We all know that processed foods aren't good for us, although many of us consume at least 1 processed food daily. They are quick, easy and convenient in the working world of today. The more processed foods you eat, the more weight you will gain. Anything that is not in its natural state means it has gone through all kinds of processes to get to your plate. These include, ham, bacon, sandwiches, chicken slices, cereal bars and more.
Most processed foods has lost a lot of its goodness and fibre. To lose weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle it is recommend to eat whole foods 90% of the time and keeping the processed and convenience foods to an absolute minimum.
7 - The Before Photo
Motivation is key throughout your weight loss journey and before and after photos are great to aid this. Keeping yourself motivated by sticking a photograph of yourself on the fridge can help change your mind to what you might take out the fridge to eat. It is also a great as this will become your ‘before photo’ as you loose weight and inches.
8 - Dear Diary
Keeping a food diary is a great way to track what your eat, when and how much. You can even see where you may be going wrong and what changes are key to you. Keeping an accurate record of your eating habits keeps you accountable and fully informed about what your eating and what nutrition your body is getting.
It doesn't need to be on pen and paper you can download an app on your phone to keep track. With the invention of Apps like My Fitness Pal or FitBit you can count every single calorie that enters your body. You can track everything such as your steps, exercise, inches and weight loss, and even track your macros - if you want to get scientific that is. It can be really motivating to keep track of your daily food intake. However, it only works if you write every day down, including them bad days
9 - Exercise
Swimming, running, riding your bike or even just walking are all great ways to get you outside and exercising. The more your active the more you burn calories - its really that simple. With many smart phones you can track the amount of steps you've achieved daily. Aim for 10,000 steps each day, this is equivalent to walking 5 miles.
You could join a gym or exercise class to keep motivated, or find an exercise buddy to help keep you both motivated. Although you don't need o sign up to a gym membership as just walking 10,000 steps each day (eve up and down the stairs) can help you lose them extra pounds.
10 - Cut The Alcohol
Did you know that cutting out just 1 glass of wine on week nights could lead to losing up to 14lbs a year. As life is hard many of us finish work looking to relive that stressful day and forget our worries. We are all tempted by a 'cheeky' glass of wine or bottle of beer at the end of a hard days work, however try and keep alcoholic drinks to a minimum to avoid using up unnecessary calories.
11 - Sleep Tight
Yes sleep is very important to weight loss and by not sleeping enough can course weight gain! Research conducted by scientists has shown that missing 1 nights sleep can slow down you metabolism by a shocking 20%. This is huge and many would not to think that they could lose weight by sleeping - weight loss can be easy. Your bed is now officially your best friend seven nights a week, 365 days a year!
12 - Traffic Lights
We are all aware about the traffic light system used on all our foods in the shops. Food packaging will be marked with a green, amber or red light for each nutritional category. These have been introduced to help us make healthier food choices. Green for go ahead its healthy, amber for eat in moderation and red for 'this is bad'. Red light foods should be eaten rarely and avoided completely possible. Shopping for healthy options has never been easier.
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