Well
guess what? You don't have to! The new trend in weight loss is toward focusing on stuff
you can do right now- things you can incorporate into your lifestyle, or carry around in
your head, and hardly know they're there.
Remember : You don't have to try them all at once.
Rethink
your motivation Because
permanent weight loss success begins not with the measuring cup but with the mind, take a
minute to explore your reasons for wanting to lose weight. When someone says that her
ultimate goal is to fit into a size-eight dress, she's setting herself up for failure.
What happens when she reaches size eight? There's nothing left to motivate her to stay
into it. That's when the weight comes creeping back. Why do you want to lose weight? Can
you zero in on a better reason than a smaller dress size? People are more likely to
succeed when they are motivated by physical and mental health. Sure they want to look
good, but they want to feel good too. That concern will often help them stay motivated for
a lifetime.
Keep
a journal Write
down what you eat, and check it against a calorie counter every night for at least two
weeks. For lots of people, that's all it takes to reverse a lifetime of bad habits. Once
you start seeing how many calories you have been eating, you'll soon know which foods to
avoid or cut back on.
Get
moving Whether
or not you exercise, it is the strongest predictor of your ability to lose weight and
maintain that loss. What you may not know is that exercise helps you lose weight in subtle
as well as not so-subtle ways. It fires up the metabolism and burns calories. Just as
important, exercise makes you feel better about yourself, which makes you more likely to
do other things to take care of yourself, such as eat less. When you're happier and more
confident, the negative feelings that get soothed by overeating tend to abate.
Don't
take that first bite We're
taught that almost everything is okay in moderation. But are there certain foods you can't
eat moderately? If you've spent an entire adult life trying to eat just a little of
certain foods and failing, it's pretty obvious that you'll never succeed
Drink
lots of water We've
all heard the dieter's "eight eight-ounce glasses a day" mantra. But few of us
understand why water is so important. The body depends on water to carry out our essential
functions. If you don't drink enough water your body uses the water it does have for those
essentials, as opposed to burning fat. In order to access stored fat, you need to have
water available. That isn't to say the more water you drink, the more weight you'll lose-
just that anyone who's trying to lose pounds should make sure s/he is drinking plenty of
water so that it's on hand for fat metabolism. Beverages like milk and juice count to your
water quota, but they add calories too. Alcoholic, aerated and caffinated beverages don't
count as they stimulate the kidneys to increase urination- a dehydrating effect.
Target
100 It
doesn't get easier than this: make a commitment to cut a scant 100 calories from your
daily intake and, at the same time, expend 100 in some kind of physical activity. If
that's all you did and changed nothing else about the way you live, by the end of the year
you'd have lost a minimum of ten pounds. To burn 100 calories, try half an hour of walking
or 20 minutes of swimming.
Go
green Eating
just half cup of cooked dark, leafy greens-spinach , broccoli, collard beans- daily may
have a positive effect on sugar cravings, especially for chocolate. Such greens are rich
in magnesium which chocolate also contains.
Change
your shopping style Before
you hit the check-out lane, review your selections and dump any sugary, fatty treats and
snacks. Your kids and husband may growl. Tell them they can eat that stuff outside if they
must, but not in the house.
Get
a fresh mouth If
nibbling between meals is a problem, brush your teeth immediately after eating. Brushing
helps preserve a fresh taste in your mouth, one you may not want to alter by eating again.
Try
strength training Everyone
knows that aerobic exercise burns calories, but strength training is just as important for
permanent weight loss. Just 10-15 minutes of weight-bearing exercises three times a week
makes a visible difference. Strength training increases muscle mass and the more muscles
you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. Use a particular pair of pants, not a
scale, as your measure of success.
Fiber
up You
probably know that high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables and bran-type cereals are
great diet fare, since they fill you up without adding too much fat or too many calories.
But boosting fiber intake may also offer dieters other benefits.
Shift
your calories The
typical eating pattern-light during the day, heavier at night-slows your metabolism. By
the time you have dinner, it's really sluggish, which means that a greater percentage of
calories will be deposited as fat instead of getting burned off. It's even worse if you
don't do any physical activity after dinner. Try eating your bigger meals earlier in the
day when you're most active.
Finally remember : there will never be one best approach.
The common denominator among people who succeed is that they've changed they way they
think about food and exercise. |
