20 Tips That Peel Off Pounds

Everybody, it seems, wants to drop “at least ten pounds” these days, and there are a million weight loss products on the market eager to help that happen. At least, that’s what we’d all like to believe. The truth is, most weight loss programs and products don’t work, or, if they do, the results are only temporary. We bounce from program to product and back again, but somehow, the number on the scale never stays where we want it to.

What can we do about it? Plenty-if we’re willing to make a few changes to our lifestyle and eating habits.

Thankfully, none of these changes have to be very big. In fact, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to incorporate small, everyday changes into our routine, one or two changes at a time. The best changes to make? Keep reading….

1.) Eat more fruits and veggies. We’ve heard this before, but somehow, we never seem to get it through our heads that this really does work. The logic of it is simple enough: fruits and vegetables are not as calorie-dense as meats and dairy products. A whole bag of mixed salad greens contains less than half the calories of a typical fast food meal. An apple or banana is just as sweet as a candy bar, but for half the calories and none of the fat or preservatives.

2.) Eat 6-8 mini meals per day. The “grazers” had the right idea, but the wrong plan. Eating 6-8 very small meals, about 200 calories each, will keep the metabolism revved up and burning calories all day long, without starvation or excessive exercise. The ideal mini meal includes both a protein source and a good carbohydrate, and small amounts of fat for satiety. A half turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with a small side salad is a good mini meal; so is peanut butter toast and half an orange.

3.) Drink water first. Drinking water before meals-of any size-will provide more satisfaction than taking a casual swig here and there throughout the day. Hunger really does sometimes masquerade as thirst, so it’s logical to assume that drinking water twenty minutes before eating will result in eating less overall.

4.) Write it all down. Keeping a food journal is an excellent way to track not only what you eat, but why you ate it. Track your calorie intake, as well, and you’ll soon find yourself making better food choices without even thinking about it.

5.) Treat yourself! Eating a constant, steady diet of “safe” foods is practically begging for failure, but the occasional treat can help keep your weight loss efforts on track. Just remember to keep your treats “occasional,” not a regular part of your everyday diet! A bowl of ice cream or slice of cake once a week is not going to de-rail your diet, but a daily snack cake or bag of chips might.

6.) Get some sleep. While getting up in the wee hours of morning to work out might sound like a good weight loss strategy, in reality, you probably should have gotten another hour of sleep. Being well rested during the day makes you less likely to eat to stay awake, drink caffeine-and-calorie laden beverages, or eat out of sheer frustration. You’ll also be more energetic, which means you’ll be more likely to work out later in the day, instead of zonking out in front of the TV the minute you get home from work.

7.) Go for a walk. Walking is the easiest, cheapest form of exercise you can do, and it’s remarkably good at taking off extra weight. Take a walk after dinner, or just incorporate walking into your daily routine, and you’ll start seeing results as early as three weeks after starting a walking routine. Aim for at least an hour of “real” walking a day, practice good posture and keep up a fast, steady pace.

8.) Lift some weight. Weight-bearing exercises build muscle, and muscle burns calories, even when you aren’t doing anything. Get some hand weights to start with, and work your way up to using heavier weights if you’re really out of shape. For faster muscle gains, lift and lower the weight slowly, and work with the heaviest weight you can stand. Don’t forget that your body is a weight, too-calisthenics such as squats, lunges, pushups, and chair dips can be done almost anywhere, and don’t require any equipment.

9.) Never eat anything bigger than your face! It sounds like a joke, but it isn’t; most people routinely consume huge amounts of food without even thinking about it. Learn what a real portion size is, and eat only that amount.

10.) Choose quality over quantity. This applies not only to the foods you eat, but also to the activities you do. A tiny bit of gourmet chocolate is more satisfying than a whole bar of waxy, cheap stuff; a focused but short workout will yield better results than haphazardly slinging weights around for an hour. Remember, if you have a choice-quality really does count!

11.) Plan your meals. Having a planned menu for a week or two will allow you to shop for only the items you need to make the meals you plan to eat, which will help eliminate the temptation of junk food. It will also save you money-maybe even enough to join that cool gym yo saw on the way to work a few days ago.

12.) Make your own “fast food.” Packing healthy, small meals with you will eliminate the need to hit the drive through, which means you’ll end up losing more weight. You’ll also have a healthier diet and bigger wallet once you cut out the fat and expense of fast food meals.

13.) Make time to work out. The most common excuse people have for not working out is, “I can’t find the time.” It takes only half an hour to an hour a day to get in shape, and you can break that up into smaller chunks of time if you have to. You burn just as many calories taking six ten minute walks as you would walking for an hour straight. You can find the time to exercise!

14.) Find a partner. Dieting with a friend or coworker will provide built in motivation and support, especially if you happen to have a competitive streak. Don’t get too competitive, though-starving yourself to “win” is a sure way of failing in the long run, and you’ll probably make your partner mad for cheating!

15.) Be realistic. One of the worst things diet programs do is show people who have lost a hundred pounds on their program in their ads. All weight loss takes effort, and ads that flaunt another person’s extraordinary results are setting people up for disappointment. Aim for small goals, such as two to five pounds a week, so you can celebrate big successes.

16.) Weigh in daily. Many programs and experts will say that daily weigh ins are a bad idea, because weight naturally fluctuates throughout the day, and can change by as much as eight pounds in a single day due to fluid retention and biological processes. However, a daily weigh in can also let you track those daily changes over time, which will allow you to figure out whether that five pounds you just magically gained is from water weight, or your great-aunt’s fabulous pumpkin pie.

17.) Check your medicine cabinet. Many medications can cause weight gain-or weight loss-so it pays to check the side effects of any medication you take on a regular basis. If your medications cause weight gain, talk to your doctor about alternatives that will allow you to stay healthy while still losing weight. If you discover that your meds might be causing weight loss, be prepared to have to compensate for that extra weight loss assistance when you stop taking that medication.

18.) Lower your sugar intake. The high-protein crowd had one thing right: sugar really does pack on the pounds! You shouldn’t give it up completely, but lowering your sugar intake is one of the easiest, fastest ways to see weight loss results. Aim for no more than thirty grams of carbohydrate per meal if you’re eating three meals a day; break it down further if you eat more often than that.

19.) Eat real food. “Diet food” is almost universally unappealing, and the strange tastes and off textures of some products can make it more likely that you’ll go off your diet just to eat something that tastes good. Avoid that problem entirely by avoiding a steady diet of “diet” food. Have real butter, if you like it. Have real mayonnaise and salad dressing and cookies. The important thing is to watch your portions and overall calorie intake, not kill your taste buds so you don’t want to eat at all!

20.) Stay active. This is really a lot simpler than it sounds. You just need to keep moving! Fidget at your desk, walk around the house, make an extra trip upstairs when you don’t need to, dance with your kids while doing housework, whatever. All those little movements add up to big results over the course of a few months, which leaves you healthier and skinnier, even if a little odd.
Above all, keep at it. You will lose weight eventually if you keep trying and don’t give up!