A strict diet that bans your favorite foods from the menu does not define a healthy lifestyle. Adhering to a healthy regimen should make people feel good about themselves, and believe it or not, there are ways to start a weight-loss journey without ditching some of your favorites. If you implement healthy changes gradually, you have the highest chance of becoming fit before you know it. Here are 11 simple strategies to start your weight loss.
Get Moving With Exercise
Exercise has a beneficial effect on lowering blood glucose levels, strengthening muscle tissues, reducing stress, improving circulation, and stimulating the release of endorphins, which in turn influence the development of a good mood. Go hiking, and you’ll burn calories while enjoying breathtaking scenery and beautiful fauna. Walking on uneven ground gets all your muscles moving, which is great because your entire body will start burning fat.
Write Down Your Goals
If you ponder why you want to start your weight loss journey, you will understand where your motivation is hidden. The process of shedding pounds requires discipline, which can sometimes be strained. Write down your goals and they will remind you why you are trying to lose weight.
Eat Your Favorite Foods
When certain foods get completely thrown off the menu, it’s natural to start craving for them. If you falter and reach for forbidden food (which will likely happen sooner or later), you will feel disappointed in yourself. If you have a weakness for sweets or salty, unhealthy foods, you need to start a plan to reduce the size of your portions. With every day that goes by, eat less French fries, for example, and eventually, you won’t feel the need to add them to your meals any longer. Eating in moderation with 4-6 small meals daily will keep your metabolism active.
Drink Plenty of Water
When the stomach is filled with water, you feel full and eat less. It is as simple as that! People who drink two glasses of water before each meal will likely lose more weight than those who count calories. Apart from hydration the body and cleaning accumulated toxins, water eases digestion; on top of everything, it has zero calories, so feel free to drink as much as you can daily.
Prepare Your Food in Advance
Preparing food in advance is a good weight loss tactic. When you have prepared meals in the fridge all the time you won’t be tempted to eat something that doesn’t benefit you anymore. It will also eliminate the time spent in the kitchen and help you eat healthier home-cooked meals. Make a weekly menu and put it on the refrigerator to prepare for each day.
Mention Your Diet Plans to Friends and Family
Your friends and family should be familiar with the changes introduced into your diet and your goals. This will help them become more aware of what you can and can’t eat. Your friends may even want to join you in your weight loss journey.
Make a Vision Board
Similarly to writing down your goals, having a vision can help keep you motivated. A vision board should contain everything that acts as your incentives. It is the ally you can turn to in times of crisis. A whiteboard in the kitchen will help you, and your family may also try to help you.
Start Slow and Give Yourself Time
An attempt to change your eating habits overnight is not realistic. It usually leads to disappointment if the strict regimen you have set fails to hold. Instead, take small steps like, for example, add a salad to your lunch or replace refined oil with unrefined olive oil. When running one new step becomes a habit, then it is time to step into another.
Track your Weight
It is important to keep track of your body weight. Buy yourself a scale and use it regularly; early morning would be ideal every two days. This way, you will be more aware of your weight and will find it much easier to monitor it. Step on the scale at the same time every day. This will give you a more accurate measurement of your loss of protein.
Sleep is Very Important
Substandard sleep slows down the metabolism and causes the body to reduce energy use. Studies have shown that people who sleep poorly have increased appetite and their body burn calories more slowly. The result is weight gain. Drink one full glass of water before sleep and one immediately after wakening.
Consider Dietary Supplements
Believe it or not, dietary supplements can benefit your weight loss plan. However, before you start a treatment, you should consult with a nutritionist or at least get to know as much as possible about that specific type of supplement. Consider the ones that are all-natural or plant-based, such as green tea supplements and Ceylon cinnamon tablets. Protein smoothies are very good for between meals and help your muscles and hunger.