25 Weight Loss Tips
Small changes in our daily routine can help you slim down without dieting. Making healthy choices, like eating breakfast and moving every day, is the first step to dropping the pounds and feeling energized. Follow our simple weight loss tips and say good bye to fat.
- Put a list on the door of your refrigerator about the negative effects of obesity - Some of the negative effects of obesity would include increasing your chances of getting affected with certain types of diseases, making you move slower, making you feel tired sooner, and so on. List these down on a piece of paper, and put it on the door of your refrigerator. This would help you think twice about eating more food, each time you try to open it.
- Avoid eating junk foods - Junk foods are usually filled with lots of salt and calories that can make you gain weight. Aside from that, they also usually do not contain any nutritional value. Keep in mind that junk foods are not just chips you eat in front of the TV set. They can also include burgers, spaghetti, fries, and such.
- Hit the grocery store only after eating - When you visit the grocery store, you would have a tendency to purchase lots of food items if you are feeling hungry. It can even tempt you to buy foods that are loaded with fats and calories when you give in to your cravings. Therefore, it is a good idea to eat, even just a light snack, prior to visiting the grocery store, so that you can avoid the temptation of purchasing more than what you need.
- Make a plan for your vacation - If you are going on a vacation with your family, there is going to be a tendency that it can make you break your usual workout routine. Thus, it is best if you plan your vacation well. For example, book a hotel that has a workout gym inside it, or at least located near it, so that you can still have a chance to get some exercise.
- Remove the skin from the chicken meat before cooking - Chicken is actually a good source of quality protein since it is not loaded with fats. Chicken skin actually tastes so good with it; however, you need to remove it if you want to lose weight. This is because it is loaded with fats and calories, which is not good when it comes to losing weight.
- Hydrate yourself by drinking lots of water - When you go through exercise routines, it is best to drink lots of water, so that you won’t get dehydrated. Aside from that, it can also suppress your appetite to some extent. In times when you feel hunger, try to drink a glass of water first, since you could have mistaken hunger for being thirsty.
- Eat more protein - When you go through certain exercise routines to lose weight, you need to load up on protein, since it can help your body in repairing worn out tissues. Aside from that, when you eat more foods that are filled with protein, it would actually make you feel full longer, which can help in controlling your appetite.
- Avoid salt as much as you can - Eating foods that are high in salt content is not a good idea if you want to lose weight. This is because salt can facilitate water retention in your body, as well as bloating. In addition, it can also put you at risk to high blood pressure and certain heart diseases.
- Eat more whole grains for your source of carbohydrates - You need to eat foods that contain carbohydrates to have the energy you need. When it comes to that, it is a good idea to choose whole grains, since they contain lots of fiber, which can prolong the digestion process. Aside from suppressing your appetite, fiber can also bring down your blood cholesterol levels.
- Cut down your consumption of soda - If you need to gain weight, sodas are your friends. However, since you want the opposite of that, then you have to avoid them. Sodas actually contain no essential nutrients, except for hundreds of calories that can make you gain weight in no time. Therefore, it is best to choose water whenever you are thirsty.
- Choose methods of cooking that use lesser amounts of oil - There are certain methods of cooking, which can allow lesser use of oil; and, one example of it is to steam vegetables. Such kind of cooking would allow the retention of vitamins, minerals, as well as fiber, which vegetables are known for. By following this, you would be able to take in lesser oil, and be able to benefit from the essential nutrients.
- Choose your protein sources well - You need to keep in mind that lots of foods that are have high protein content, are often associated with fats and calories as well. Thus, it is best that you choose the protein sources well when it comes to planning your diet. Some of the foods you can consider for this would include eggs, fish, lean meat, turkey, chicken without its skin, and such.
- Eat snacks in between meals - Eating snacks in between breakfast and lunch, as well as in between lunch and dinner is a good idea. This is because; it can control your appetite for the main meals, aside from boosting your metabolism. However, make sure to choose healthy snacks, and be mindful of your portions.
- If you can’t avoid drinking beverages, choose those that contain less sugar - Drinking beverages are something that you need to avoid in order to lose weight. However, if you simply need to have some, then choose those that have lower sugar and calorie content. Aside from that, put lots of ice cubes into the drinks, so that they would become diluted with water.
- Eat raw foods - Eating raw foods such as raw vegetables can provide you with more vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Aside from that, they also contain more moisture. Additionally, raw vegetables would also make your body work more, in order to get them processed. Thus, try minimizing cooking vegetables, so that they can help you more in losing weight.
- Focus on your meal when eating - Don’t watch TV or use your computer when you are eating. When you do that, you could prevent your mind from comprehending the signals that are sent by your body that it is already full. Therefore, it can lead to binge eating, since you would feel that you are still unsatisfied, even when you have already eaten lots of foods.
- Do things moderately - It is always best to do things moderately when you are dieting. Therefore, do not be too hard on yourself in following your diet program. It is perfectly fine to indulge yourself into eating something that should not be included in your diet, as long as you keep it in small amounts. It would make you feel less deprived, and can even help you stick on your program.
- Never starve yourself to lose weight - When you follow diet programs that are too restrictive, it may make you starve yourself, especially when you go through fasting to lose weight. This is actually not a good idea since it can prompt your body to go into survival mode, in which it would save all fats it has stored, and lower down your metabolism.
- Find a partner - When it comes to losing weight through dieting and working out, it is a good idea to find a partner for it. With a partner, whether he or she is your spouse or friend, you can both help in motivating each other. Aside from that, you can even compete with each other, so that you would make it more interesting.
- Set short-term goals - It is always better to have short-term goals as well, rather than sticking only to long-term ones. This is because long-term goals can become quite overwhelming. With short-term goals, you can ensure that you are having progress since it can provide you with an easier way to achieve results. Thus, short-term goals can ensure that you are motivated enough to keep on going.
- Become more conscious of your calorie intake - When it comes to losing weight, your body needs to burn more calories than it receives. Therefore, you should be conscious on your calorie intake; and, one of the things that you can do for that is to check the labels of the food items you buy from the store. Aside from that, you should also do your research about the calories of other food items.
- Drink green tea to lose weight - Drinking green tea can help you lose weight since it can boost your body’s metabolic rates. Aside from that, green tea is also known to suppress a person’s appetite. Thus, it can prevent you from eating heavy snacks. In addition, studies conclude that it can help a person’s body in burning more calories.
- Eat a heavy breakfast - The breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day since it can determine the kind of energy you would have throughout the day. Thus, it is best to eat a heavy breakfast meal, so that you can jump start your metabolism. Aside from that, it can also help in controlling your appetite, since you won’t become too hungry during lunch time.
- Listen to good music while working out - When you work out, it is always better if you are full of energy. Aside from making sure that you have eaten a healthy meal hours before working out, you can also turn up the volume for your MP3 player, in order to become more effective in it. Good music can take your mind away from the feeling of fatigue. Thus, it can help you last longer.
- Take a good multivitamin supplement - Always remember that when you workout, your body would also have an increased needs for certain nutrients, in order to stay healthy. Although you are following a healthy diet, there is still a chance that it can’t provide you sufficient amounts of some nutrients. Thus, it is best to take a good multivitamin supplement, just to be on the safe side.