When starting on your weight loss journey make sure you take the time to find healthy advice and weight loss plans. Too many times when we start a program we look to see what someone else did to achieve their results. Unfortunately everyone is different so what has worked for them may not work for you. You can always sit down with a personal trainer to help you make specific goals that are for you. There are also different weight loss plans that you can find online or from a nutritionist.
One of the best pieces of advice to look at is knowing what it is that you are losing. Are you losing fat, muscle, or water weight? When we start a weight loss program it is so easy to get wrapped up in the scale and what the number says. If we see we have gained weight then we might give up. Normally when we begin a healthy weight loss program we might see an increase in weight due to the building of muscle and losing fat. Sometimes if we skip important steps like weights and nutrition and just do cardio we might see a decrease in weight loss which is due to water and losing muscle.
Healthy Weight Loss
So let’s dive into this further. If we are not going to use the scale to see if we are losing weight or reaching our goals, then how do we measure our results? One of the best ways is to have your body fat measured so you know how much lean tissue you have versus fat. You can also see how it changes throughout your weight loss journey. You can visit any gym and have a personal trainer take your measurements for you.
Another way to check how you are doing is by using a tape measure to see the inches you are losing. You can also look and see if you have gone down pant or dress sizes. Just because you are not losing weights does not mean you are not losing sizes. You can lose several sizes and not lose that much weight since adding lean muscle tissue to your body will help your metabolism.
Weight Loss Fitness Plan
Make sure when you are looking for a weight loss fitness plan that it includes resistance training not just cardio. Yes you can burn several calories doing cardio for several hours but you are not adding lean muscle tissue which happens with weight training. Even when you are doing a cardio program you need to make sure that it changes with intervals, short days, long days, etc. Doing the same thing each day will not help you increase your metabolism which helps you burn fat.(1)
Another vital piece of advice is a healthy weight loss diet plan that works. A healthy plan always includes protein, carbs, and fat. I’m sure you cringe at the word carbs, however they are needed to keep your body full of energy and help fill you. There are many healthy carbohydrates such as brown rice, wheat pasta, quinoa, and more that you can still enjoy. Eating our 5 small meals every 2-3 hours will help our body use this fuel in time for our next meal and burn fat. Each person is different as well in regards to how many calories you need to consume. It will depend on several factors including gender, age, weight, working out, etc. You can ask a personal trainer or a dietician for more specific meal diet plans.
Healthy Weight Loss Supplements
Lastly it is very important to have supplements to help you throughout this weight loss journey. We are not talking diet pills, we are talking about multivitamins, vitamins, meal replacements, joint nutrition and recovery. Supplements help support your body in areas that you are lacking specific nutrition. For instance if you are busy at work and don’t have time to sit down and have a small meal you can have a meal replacement which works just as good to help give you the calories you need. Your body needs certain nutrients when you are dieting due to the stress therefore we need to find a great multivitamin packed with the essentials. If you have a lot of weight to lose you should look into a joint supplement to support a decrease in pain and increase the cushioning of your joints.
20 Ways to Quick Weight Loss
Are you looking to lose weight faster? Take a look at our compiled list of 20 ways to easier weight loss. These tips can begin your journey to lose weight or get you over that stubborn plateau.
Tips
- 1.Taking it One Day at a Time: When starting a new weight loss program we need to do it one day at a time. If we do too much too soon and get frustrated that we aren’t seeing results quick enough we might quit our weight loss program. We also need to make sure the fitness and nutrition is ultimately things we enjoy or like otherwise we may quit. Celebrate the small accomplishments each day.
- 2.Buddy Support: Find someone you know that has similar weight loss goals so you can support one another and understand what each is going through. If you are unable to find someone at the gym or wherever you are working out, look for a weight loss message board online. Having someone to talk to about your successes and struggles is very important with weight loss.
- 3.Resistance Training Add a weight lifting routine into your weight loss program a few days a week. Resistance training helps support the building of lean muscle tissue. The more lean muscle tissue on your body the more calories and fat you burn. Also remember that muscle weighs more than fat so you may see an increase in your weight before it decreases. (2)
- 4.Carbohydrates: Don’t cut carbohydrates out of your nutrition plan as it is helpful for energy. If we eat 5 small meals a day with small amounts of carbohydrates we can have a decrease in cravings since we are fueling our bodies to use the energy it needs. Once we start having cravings then we end up overeating carbs and sweets. (3)
- 5.Goal Specific: Whenever you are looking to lose weight you need to have specific goals that are realistic, measurable, attainable and tangible, not just that you want to lose weight. Also make sure you write down your goals and place it somewhere you can see it each day or put it in your phone. The more you see it the more you will stick to it.
Food Tips
- 6.Dump the Soda and Flavored Coffee or Tea: There are so many calories that you get from drinking soda or any type of flavored specialty coffee or Tea from a Starbucks, Dutch Brothers, or other coffee shop. Some coffees can have well up to 400 calories and 30 grams of sugar or more depending on the type and size of the drink. Yes they might be very yummy however they might not help you with your weight loss goals.
- 7.Grill and Broil Foods: Fried foods can be loaded with unhealthy fats and extra calories. Instead look to grill out more during the week and broil your foods to keep them healthier and tasting great.
- 8.Get Rid of the Junk Food: Junk food is processed and contains hardly any nutritional value. Instead of reaching for the bag of chips, go for a piece of fruit. Once you are eating your 5 small meals a day and every 2-3 hours you will see your cravings for these processed junk foods decrease.
- 9.Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast: The most important meal of the day is breakfast to give us the energy we need to get going for the day and to start our metabolism burning calories. If we skip breakfast then our metabolism stops and we start storing anything we eat as fat.
- 10.Treating Yourself: Always make sure you have some kind of positive reward throughout your weight loss journey to help keep you focused on your goals.
Drinking Tips
- 11.Small Plates: Switch to your smaller salad plate when you are filling your plate with food so that you do not overeat. Most people fill the bigger dinner plates all the way which is more food than you actually need.
- 12.Water: Start switching out your sodas, energy drinks, and other sugary drinks to water. Water is essential for staying healthy and has no calories. If you do not like the taste of water you can always add a lemon, orange, or cucumber for added flavor and zest.
- 13.Finishing Your Plate: No one said you had to finish your entire plate to be full. Once you feel full and are satisfied you can stop eating. If you still have food left on your plate you can save it for another meal.
- 14.Five Meals a Day: Eating 5 small meals a day will help your bodies metabolism start to burn fat throughout the day.
- 15.Fitness Plan: Always have a Fitness Plan as this is essential for results. Your fitness plan should progress you through your goals and change every month or so. If you don’t have any progressions you will stop seeing results.
Fad Diet Tips
- 16.Fad Diets: We have all tried the quick fix of fast weight loss with fad diets. They don’t work since they are not set up for long term. Once you get off the fad diet you go back to your old habits.
- 17.Burn More Calorie: You can burn extra calories each day by making a few small changes. Instead of looking for the front row parking spot go for the one in the back. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Do some resistance exercises while watching TV or do some cardio. Walk to the mailbox instead of driving. (4)
- 18.Food Labels: When you look at the labels on your food you can see how many calories, fat, sugar, etc are in them. They will also tell you serving sizes as well. You might be surprised as to what is in each item and allowing you to make better decisions.
- 19.Raw Vegetables: One of the best snack foods or food to pair with any meal are raw vegetables. Raw vegetables do not have many calories and are very healthy for you giving you food and nutrients your body needs.
- 20: Habits: You can build better habits towards fitness and nutrition by taking it one day at a time and in smaller steps. Once we start on our fitness journey we are taking the step towards setting up good habits to make changes in our life.
The best way to achieve our weight loss goals is through the power of positive attitude. If we say to ourselves we can’t do this, then ultimately that will come true. What we say to ourselves is the most powerful thing to set us up for success. Losing weight is already going to be difficult and hard however if we start thinking and talking positive, we can see success happen even if it is small.
Always say Yes, I can do this, versus I will try. The difference here is the word try. You can’t try to do something, you either do it or you don’t. For example, if I tell you to try to pick up a pencil. You can only do or do not. You have either picked it up or you haven’t, there is no in between. When we think of weight loss and our goals we need to think of it the same way. That we are going to do it. (5)
Weight Loss Journey
When starting on our weight loss journey we need to stay positive and use all our resources. We already have the resources we need for success. Therefore now we just need to apply them and stay motivated for our end goal. Remember that weight loss doesn’t happen overnight. It might have taken us years to become overweight. However it is going to take time to lose it as well.
Goal Action Plan: It is great to have goals especially when you are losing weight. You might have 1, 2, 3, or more goals for your weight loss goal. Take each goal and break it down even more into smaller goals or a timeline. For instance if your goal is to lose 10 pounds in 2 months, break it into weekly goals. These weekly goals could include exercise tips, strategies for shopping and more. Also write down all your goals into a journal and write something each day of your journey. Your goals should always be achievable, attainable, and concrete.
Success Envisioned.: Visualize your goals and see yourself succeeding. See different scenarios such as eating out, shopping at the grocery store, going to the gym first thing in the morning. Think about these scenarios and more and how you will feel achieving them throughout your weight loss goals.
Sabotaging Yourself: Unconsciously we sabotage ourselves. Moreover with detrimental self-destructive ideas and thoughts. For instance we will never get the weight off and we will always be fat. This can be very harsh. Instead say to yourself am not losing the weight as quickly as I thought. I would, but I’m going to start exercising 3 times a week.
Cheer Yourself On: One of the biggest challenges to losing weight is staying positive with what we say to ourselves. Remember we would never say to our friend that they are ugly or fat. So why would you disrespect yourself by saying the same? Make a running list of your accomplishments including personal, physical and professional. Therefore you can celebrate your weight loss progress even if it is slower than you expected. Detail your list with your talents and skills which have helped you achieve each accomplishment. Open up your journal daily and write down what things you did good. Even if it includes adding breakfast to your day.
Overcoming Bad Days
You are going to have a bad day once in awhile with your weight loss journey. Instead of beating yourself up about it that you have failed, look at it as a learning opportunity. What can you do differently the next time the same situation or problem occurs. Stay positive and know that this is not going to destroy your journey.
Remember just believing and saying you can reach your weight loss goals is just one half of the goal. Therefore the other half is acting on your goals. You need to make sure you are following through. In addition increasing physical activity, changing your eating habits, journal your goals and successes and more.
Self-believing: Stay positive each day that you can do this and start believing in yourself. Write down in your journal daily one positive word or phrase to help you succeed. The more confidence and positive affirmations we have towards are weight loss goals the easier it will be to succeed.
