Losing Weight For You

Losing Weight for You – Because You Are Worth It!

 

Why would you like to lose weight? Is it because you want to look good for a special day? Perhaps you have a family event or class reunion to attend this year; the reasons could be many.

 

However, rather than losing weight for a single-day event, you may have more luck losing weight for you because you’re worth it!

 

Having a particular event to look forward to is a good starting point when you decide to lose weight, but it won’t be enough to help you keep the weight off after that day has ended.

 

Sure, you may look great for your 15^th high school reunion or your cousin’s wedding, but will you maintain that weight loss once your old high school rivals can’t be jealous of how good you look? The likelihood is that you’ll go back to your old ways and gain your weight back.

 

Before starting on your weight loss venture, think of a way to motivate yourself to keep the weight loss going. You can’t find a better motivation for losing weight than to get healthy and feel energized. This is especially true if you have health concerns that are complicated because of your weight.

 

Losing weight for you – because you’re worth it – gives you a permanent reason to shed those pounds and keep them off!

 

Here are some action steps you can take to help you meet your weight loss goals:

 

1. Create your weight loss plan. Now that you have your permanent reason for wanting to lose weight, you can create a successful plan to get you to your goal. Include in your plan:

 

• Specific, measurable goals that are also reasonable and attainable for you
• A time frame
• Steps you can take each day to achieve your goals

 

2. Get a mentor. Your chances of succeeding will be greater if you have the help of a friend or weight loss mentor that will keep you on track when your willpower begins to wane.

 

3. Choose foods that are as close to nature as possible. These will have the best nutrients and the least artificial ingredients.

 

• Talk with a dietician or find an online weight loss community to give you advice, encouragement, and constructive criticism for making healthy food choices.

 

4. Find a sport or activity you can enjoy that will get you moving. You don’t have to spend hours and hours in a gym unless that’s what you choose to do.

 

• An increase in the amount or intensity of exercise by as little as twenty minutes a day can do wonders to help you reach your weight loss goals!

 

5. Set small, attainable goals. While your ultimate goal may be to lose 50 pounds, you won’t be able to reach that goal in a short period of time. Set smaller goals such as five or ten pounds in two months.

 

• Experts recommend losing no more than two pounds a week, so it would be feasible to lose at least five pounds in a month.

 

6. Celebrate when you’ve reached smaller goals. Just don’t celebrate with food! Choose rewards you’ll enjoy and that will keep you motivated to claim your next reward.

 

• Have smaller rewards for smaller amounts of weight and then larger rewards when you’ve reached a major milestone such as 25 pounds.

 

7. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day or even blow your diet completely. You’re only human! Instead of degrading yourself over it, tell yourself that you’re worth the effort to lose weight and that you can do it. Start afresh the next day.

 

8. Be patient. Remember that you didn’t gain weight overnight. You can’t be expected to lose it quickly, either. Your best course of action is consistency. Keep on track and the weight will come off and stay off!

 

Losing weight can accomplish so much more than making friends envious because you could fit in clothing that you wore in high school. Your health can be greatly improved by ridding yourself of extra pounds and exercising to get your body in shape.

 

This time, choose to lose weight for yourself rather than for anyone else or for any other reason. That’s the best reason in the world! Follow these tips, stick with it, and enjoy your new, healthy body!

 

Get Off the Diet Roller Coaster: 6 Tips for Making Your Weight Loss Last

 

Losing weight isn’t easy, but keeping the weight off for the long haul can be even more challenging. Many of us get stuck on that endless roller coaster of yo-yo dieting. We go on a diet, lose some weight, go off our diet, and then gain all of the weight back, plus some. So how can you get off of this dieting roller coaster?

 

Learn some helpful tips to make your weight loss last:

 

1. Choose a diet for the long term. Many diets are very restrictive, and there's no way you can stay on a diet like that for very long.

 

• Rather than restricting calories to some ridiculously small number, or eliminating entire food groups, choose a healthy eating plan that you’ll be able to stick to, even after reaching your target weight.

 

2. Keep exercising even after you reach your goal weight. Losing weight isn’t a race where you get to stop and rest once you cross the finish line. It’s an ongoing effort, and it’s vital that you continue to eat right and exercise, so you don't put the pounds back on.

 

3. Set a target range rather than a specific goal weight. Trying to stick to a specific number on the scale can be difficult. If you go above your goal weight it can be discouraging, and you may lose the motivation you need to stick to a healthy diet and exercise program.

 

• Shooting for a target range also allows for weight fluctuations that naturally occur.

 

4. Having a support system can help you stay on track. If you can surround yourself with people that will help keep you motivated and accountable, it will be easier to maintain your weight loss.

 

• Enlist the help of friends, family members, coworkers, or even people on a social networking site. If you state your goals publicly, you’ll be more motivated to put forth the effort to reach them.

 

5. Give yourself permission to make mistakes from time to time. Sticking to a healthy diet and regular exercise program is great, but there will be times where you eat something unhealthy or miss a few days of exercise.

 

• If you overindulge on food or don’t work out, avoid letting that destroy your motivation. Keep yourself from going back to sitting on the couch and eating junk food.

 

• If you have a misstep, get back on track and start moving forward again. You’ll reach and maintain your weight loss goals if you can develop good habits.

 

6. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Rather than turning to high-calorie, prepackaged, processed foods when you need a snack, eat a piece of fruit or a bowl of vegetables. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals, are low in calories, and will fill you up.

 

If you’ve been a yo-yo dieter in the past, you know how losing weight and keeping it off can be extremely difficult. If you keep these tips in mind, though, you’ll discover an easier and more enjoyable experience than that roller coaster!

 

 

Break Through Stubborn Diet Plateaus

 

Sometimes you stick to your diet and exercise program but the scale stops moving down. If you want to start losing weight again, these are some changes you can make in the way you eat and other lifestyle choices.

 

Check Out Your Diet

 

Spot hidden calories. It’s easy to lose track of how many calories you’re really consuming. Try keeping a journal so you know how often you take second helpings or snacks straight out of the refrigerator.

Measure your portions. You can enjoy the foods you love as long as you keep the portions under control. Learn easy ways to identify a sensible serving. Four ounces of meat is about the size of your fist. It takes about twenty-five almonds to make an ounce.

Slow down. Leisurely dining will help you consume fewer calories and enjoy them more. Sit down for meals. Put your fork on the table while you chew each mouthful. Give your brain a chance to tell you when you’re full.

Ban certain foods. Many people have food sensitivities that can cause bloating and weight gain. Try taking a week off from wheat or dairy products to see if it makes a difference.

Start with a nutritious breakfast. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. A bean burrito or yogurt and cereal may help you eat less later on.

Eat more produce. Fill up on low-calorie vegetables and fruits. They have important nutrients your body needs and the fiber fights hunger pangs. Aim for at least seven servings daily.

Drink more water. Your body may be retaining water if you fail to drink enough. Get a refillable steel bottle you can carry around everywhere.

Monitor your protein intake. Compared to carbohydrates and fat, your body works harder to digest protein. That means you burn more calories. Put a little soy or meat in each meal and snack.

 

Check Out Other Lifestyle Choices

 

1. Exercise more. Thirty minutes of daily exercise can help you maintain any bodyweight. If you want to shed more pounds, gradually add on a few minutes at a time.

Vary your workout. Our bodies adapt quickly to any repetitive activity, so that daily treadmill run winds up requiring less energy over time. Use interval training and a variety of workouts to introduce new challenges.

Build up your muscle mass. Increasing your ratio of muscle to fat speeds up your metabolism. Train for strength with weights or a Pilate’s class.

Manage stress. Unpleasant life events can trigger emotional eating and higher levels of stress hormones. Find a remedy that works for you, like meditation, warm baths, or listening to instrumental music.

Get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep can make you heavier. A full eight hours a night improves digestion and helps keep you trim. Brief naps are great for increasing your total sleep time.

Cut back on alcohol. Remember to count the calories in cocktails. Start happy hour with one drink and then switch to water. Trade-in your usual Margarita for a slimmer Bloody Mary.

Cultivate a healthy body image. If you’re constantly struggling to reach a certain weight, it could mean that you’ve set your sights too low. You may be healthier accepting a larger dress size rather than pursuing an artificial ideal.

If your weight loss has stalled, give your diet and daily habits the once over to figure out how to get back on track. If you need more help, talk with your doctor to rule out any underlying medical condition and create a plan you can stick with for life.

 

[ The following is the full transcript from this week's post. This is a health blog with a focus on weight loss. Please consider that all episodes are unscripted, direct to the camera, with focused talking points. ]

 

 

 

Hello, and I hope you are doing well today.

Today, the topic I want to talk about is it is related to those people that are, are on their journey of losing weight.

I am specifically talking to two people there, are you wanting to lose weight or in the midst of losing weight?

Hopefully, I give you some information that you will find helpful.

Often when people set out to lose weight, they, have something in their mind, the reason as to why you want to lose weight. Is it your upcoming wedding, school reunion, or something like that. It is usually something related to time and place in the future.

The problem when you set your goal losing weight.  When the event happens, you lose your motivation to continue to lose weight or to stay where you are at, so I think it is important.

First of all, in you strive to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. You really need to do it for yourself. And what I mean by that is, you need to develop a why you want to do this, that is very personal and dear to you, and really uses that to kind of drive your motivation.

So, there will be an internal factor, not an external factor.

So, the first thing you got to do on your weight loss journey is to understand why you want to wait and I do not mean or superficial that fit into this outfit, or because of this event, but it is really, you know, long term and then creating something sustainable.

You may want to lose weight because you are concerned about your health, you want to be able to play with your grandchildren, and support your family, things like that, but you really have to have a very personal way as to why you want to lose and lose the weight.

Then, once you understand why you want to lose weight, there are some things you can do, that are going to help you along the way. And the first thing you got to do is going to have a plan.

I tell people all the time that no plan is really just a plan to fail.

The first thing you got to do is have a weight loss plan, and it is going to have things that are specific, and things that are measurable, and they also have to be things that you can attain, so they have to be realistic. It is important to have a timeframe associated with your plan, and then basically, what are the steps you are going to do each day to achieve your goals. So, a very detailed plan.

So that is the first thing you need to have is a plan.

Another thing that will help you, along with on this journey, though, is really to get a mentor or a coach. Someone in your life that can provide you support, but also guidance in times that you may be struggling with something.

Finding those individuals in your life that are going to add value, and help you be successful is really, really important in your weight loss journey.

The next thing you can do in your weight loss journey is really just choosing food items that are as natural as possible.

What I mean by that is unprocessed food. Think of it, when you go to a grocery store, you could buy highly processed eggs, or you can buy kind of whole food, fresh things.

And the more you can stay to the natural things, the whole food, fresh, the more likely you are to be successful; you are going to be healthy.

Now, there are things you can do, you can talk to a nutritionist or dietician related to that, you can also go to numerous online communities, where you can kind of act to support each other, but also throw out your questions on things you may have. They will be able to give me, some feedback. But the important thing is to really create kind of this support networks kind of around.

The next thing you can do on your weight loss journey is you got to find activities you enjoy.

Now, often, you have heard me say that exercise, it is a four-letter word to me. We really want to do is stay active. So that means doing things that are going to give you the benefits of exercise, but you approach it in the kind of a mindset that it is pleasurable. That is something you are going to want to do.

As you are on your journey, it is important to find activities that you are going to enjoy. But they are also activities, will increase your heart rate, produce what you are looking for an exercise, and then you need to do it frequently.

And, again, as you are setting goals, you have got to remember, you have got to have goals that are achievable, then you also have to have goals that reward you in obtaining those, and then the timeframe of those needs to be relatively short, so you may say, your long-term goals to lose 50lbs.

And if that is the only goal you have, it can be really frustrating because you have no real rewards along the way.

So, if that is your long-term goal, you may set a short-term goal of losing a pound, a week, or something like that, that is going to allow you to measure and monitor in that short timeframe that is going to allow you to celebrate those wins as you go on, and that is going to kind of reinforce your behavior.

So, break your large goals into smaller, obtainable goals.

Now, when we are talking about weight loss, the reality of it is, you really should not strive to lose more than one or 2lbs a week. Any, weight loss in excess of that is probably unhealthy to start with.

Secondarily, probably is not what you are looking for in the context of fat loss and probably more water loss and things like that.

So, you have got to be realistic in what your goals are.

Again, like I said, with your goals, you have got to celebrate the wins.

You got to break your large goals into smaller goals that allow you the opportunity to have kind of that constant celebration of being successful.

So maybe it is doing 30 minutes a day of whatever activity, and let you do that each day. You are going to celebrate that.

But it is really important creating this mind frame of celebration, on the days when.

Now, the flip side of that is to not be hard on yourself and beat yourself up for those days those things do not go as initially planned. I mean, you are human, and everything is not going to be perfect every day.

The days you find things off course, maybe you missed your workout, or you did not eat as well as you would like to, do not let that completely derail, learn from it, try to investigate what happened. But the end of the day does not let that derail you completely.

You know, considering tomorrow is a new day. I am going to start fresh and the biggest thing, when I talk to people is you cannot be so hard on yourself because you are going to have days.

Things do not go, as you wanted them to, and how you respond to them can really have a big impact, long term, Next thing is, you got to be patient, one to two pounds a week is really the maximum weight loss should really consider.

But really, be patient. Think about, wherever you are in your health and wellness journey, we will take you some time to get there. If you want to move the needle, it is probably going to take some time to move that needle.

So, the important thing to remember is consistency, consistency is the game-changer here.

So, be patient, work your plan, and then be consistent in your plan. And this gives time for things to work out.

So, another thing that we are talking about weight loss is people often kind of go through, the diet rollercoaster, though they will be doing well for a period of time. Then they start going back to their old ways. And they quickly realize, well, I have gained back all the weight loss, but in fact, I probably gained back more.

So, what can we do to prevent this kind of rollercoaster if you will?

Well, the first thing you can do is really pick a diet plan based on something that you enjoy and that's long-term. Do not look at it in the context. I am going to do this for 12 weeks, and then go back to however I was, it is about a lifestyle, it is about, how can I eat that is healthier, something that I enjoy so that I can do this really for the rest of my life.

You got to choose your diet for the long term.

Anytime you are on a heavily restricted diet, those diets are just not going to be very successful for anyone.

If you are looking at the diet you are selecting, remember, it is got to be a supplement. You are going to enjoy it and are you really able to do the rest of your lives.

Also, as you go along, it is important to exercise.

Often people will reach their goals, and then they back off or exercising, but the important thing is that continue to exercise even after you have reached kind of you, your weight goal.

Continue that health and wellness journey.

Next thing is, is when you are setting your goals, specifically, when it is related to weight. If you have done this, you will notice that your body weight can fluctuate quite a bit week from to week. That does not necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong, or they need it differently.

It is just what it is sometimes. So, the nice thing to do is maybe set more of a target, that is a range. Not an actual number.

Because you are going to find yourself really discouraged as being a very specific number because there are lots of variables that can have an impact on that weight.

But, again, it is important, on this health and wellness journey, that you really surround yourself with a good support system, finding those people that are there to help you, and support you, and encourage you, along the way. That is very important in helping drive the motivation, but also, helping you maintain your drive-by kind of publicly committing to what it is you are trying to do.

Whenever you state your goals publicly. You are more likely to actually reach those goals.

And again, remember you are human, you are going to have days and things just do not work out. So do not want that completely derail, you, destroy yourself. Understand that there are going to be times you are going to eat stuff in retrospect to feel like I should not have eaten, or I missed this workout.

Just do not make that be a consistent pattern when those happen, do not let them happen again the next day, and so it is important that consistency as well.

But another big thing is, is when we are talking about weight loss, as I already said, the restriction is kind of the theme, and that is not necessarily the case. Sometimes it is really not as much restriction. That is really making sure you are eating healthy things. You need to try to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

And so, when I am telling you that, I am not telling you to take things out of your diet. I am telling you to add things to your diet. You are going to want to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. And so really try to add those to your diet as much as possible.

Now, another thing that people encounter that creates some resistance work for them, or frustration, in any diet where they are trying to lose weight, is basically a plateau period, where nothing has changed, but also in your weight. It is not changing, but you have not really noticed anything in your activity level, or even then what you are eating.

So, there are some things you can do. If you are finding out that your kind of in that plateau phase, well, the first thing is, is to make sure there are no hidden calories that you are consuming. What I mean by that is, are you going back for a second helping on things or having snacks, that you are not really paying attention to.

It is really important that to monitor this, I recommend a diet journal, or some type of app, or something like that, that basically document or record what it is you are eating.

Another thing you do is, if you are plateaued, is to really make sure that you are measuring your portions.

Often, we do not have a pretty good ability to guess portion size. If you are fighting with your plateauing, then you really probably need to measure your portions better and see, you know, am I really six ounces of steak or really 10 ounces?

You have got to really make sure your portions are correct. If you are falling into that, the plateau of your weight loss.

Another thing you can do if you are plateauing is just really slow down.

What I mean by that is when you are eating, if you are really just, make a conscious effort to slow down, like you are chewing things like slowing your fork down between bites, things like that.

That is going to give your body time as you are eating to realize, I do not eat need more food, you are in a rush.

You are able to consume a lot of calories that you probably do not need. Your body just has not had the time to tell your brain that you are full.

Then also, there are probably certain foods want to avoid, though, you are going to have to look at this as a research project, and you are the research subject because how you respond to different foods is really going to be individualized.

So, things are sensitive to common dairy products, or wheat-type products, things like that. But there are probably foods you are going to want to avoid.

The thing you can do to help with the plateau is really starting your day with a nutritious breakfast.

And that is really important because that is going to help you throughout the day. By promoting your metabolism.

But really start your day off, right If you are plateaued. If you are plateaued, you know the Fresh Fruits and vegetables are extremely important.

You want to, get at least several servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, a day that is going to help yeah, there is lots of fiber, micronutrients that is really going to help you with your plateau.

The thing you can do, both in weight loss in general, but if you are at a plateau period, is really making sure you are drinking plenty of water. Often, we think we are hungry and really were thirsty.

Make sure you are monitoring your water intake and make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

Another thing you can do is really kind of focus on your proteins.

The body really, when it comes to metabolizing carbohydrates and fats, is much more efficient, actually proteins, the body has to work harder to digest them, and so if you are consuming more protein, that means you are basically making your body work harder. Which will burn more calories.

So really be aware of what your protein intake is.

I would say exercise, but again, when I say exercise I mean activity, something you are going to enjoy something, you will do daily.

But really looking for that supplement. You are going to be able to do, you know, for 30 minutes a day. And enjoy it.

Again, this is something we want you to learn to enjoy because we want you to do it for the rest of your lives.

Now along the lines of exercise or activities is also changing that up a little bit, doing different things, stimulates the mind, but also makes it so they do not become kind of boring or monotonous.

Varying your workouts is an important thing to do.

Now another thing you can do if you are plateaued is really working on increasing your muscle mass. Resistance training is really good for this because obviously as you increase your muscle mass, you are going to increase your metabolism.

So, indirectly, that is going to happen an impact on your weight by increasing your metabolism. another thing that is really important in your weight loss journey is to manage stress, obviously, stress has an impact on what we eat, because we're eating due to the stress.

You got to learn to manage your stress. You are not avoiding stress, so we have to learn to manage it. It does have a big impact on your overall health and wellness, but also has an impact on your weight.

The other thing to focus on, related to your weight is sleep, you have got to get adequate sleep 7 to 8 hours.

Lots of things happen when you are sleeping. That is going to make your metabolic rates improved in your bodies running more efficiently, then obviously, with food choices, when you are fatigued off that make that food choice.

So, you know, getting to sleep is extremely important.

Then another thing you want to consider is, is cutting back on alcohol. If you are consuming alcohol, you really need to cut back, depending on how much you are using, and what it is you are, you are consuming.

But a lot of alcoholic drinks have a lot of what I would call empty calories. Margarita that may have hundreds of calories really do not need, so you may want a substitute for something else to drink or ditch alcohol really altogether.

Then you always want to focus on a healthy body image, let us call it. It goes back to it not being so hard on yourself, when things do not work out, but also do not be so hard on yourself with how you currently look.

So, it is important to visualize where you want to be. What does it look like in the future, when you get to where you want to be, not be so hard, or critical of yourself where you're at now.

Let us say you really want to really work to have a healthy body image,

These are some things that I think can help you on your health and wellness journey, specifically related to weight loss.

But I think it is important to understand that there are lots of things that impact your way.

And so, learning about those things, and then learning how you are going to adapt to continue on the path you want, is really up to you.

Now, there are things we can do to help.

At the end of the day, the work is going to have to be done.

But it is work that can be enjoyable, unpleasant, and rarely produce the results you want.

I want you to keep working at it, It will be challenging, but there is a lot of payoffs here.

And at the end, remember, you have got this.

Thank you.