So after writing about my anti-dieting philosophy, I decided to focus on lifestyle changes that help you lose weight. As 95% of diets fail, it is clear that it is lifestyle changes that individuals need rather than a regimen designed by someone somewhere who wants to make money. That’s not to say that such a regimen will never work for anyone, but if it does work for them it is because it fits with their lifestyle—it isn’t a miracle. I am digressing! There are lifestyle changes that help you lose weight that we can all try easily. Some are obvious and old, others not so much…
Meat Free Monday has been pioneered by Sir Paul McCartney. As the name suggests, you ditch meat for one day a week. I don’t eat meat, so this is easy for me. By cutting out meat, you cut out many of the fats that are hard for your body to shift. Why not take it a step further and cut out dairy too? Trust me, when this opens you up to the wonderful world of almond milk, you will be pleased you gave it a go. This is one of those lifestyle changes that help you lose weight by forcing you to explore a hidden culinary side you never knew you had.
The more you can put your stairs at home between yourself and the things you need, the more calories you will burn. I once read about a woman who lost a lot of baby weight by purposefully placing her changing station upstairs. As anybody who has had kids should know, they poop. A lot. Try doing this with any items you may need to retrieve regularly. If, like me, you have bathrooms upstairs and downstairs, always use the upstairs one. This simple concept should apply to multiple areas of your life to see the best results.
It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are satisfied. In the meantime, you can happily wolf down way more food than you actually need under the illusion that you are hungry. Eat consciously and chew slowly to avoid this happening. The second your body stops telling you that you are hungry, you stop eating. To counter this, never ignore hunger pangs. This means having snacks to hand…
Vending machines are the enemy. Seriously, they are. Even the healthiest food in the vending machines at my university is full of sugar. Start packing snacks in small boxes and take them with you wherever you go. That way, when hunger pangs kick in, you can do something about it in the right way.
Eating in front of the television is a big no-no. With a bag of Doritos at your side and Breaking Bad in front of you, you can munch through hundreds of calories without even realizing it. Obviously we all need those sofa days when we just sit and gorge. However, you should primarily eat in the kitchen. It saves on calories AND mess.
Eating from the packet is another downward spiral towards calorie overload. No matter how small your snack is, put it into perspective and portion it into a small bowl. Combine this with eating slowly and you can enjoy your food without putting on lots of weight. When you eat from the packet, putting your food into perspective is hard. Eat from a small bowl, and controlling yourself is easy.
I have been doing this for a while, but purchasing a Smart TV recently has made doing it so much easier. Think about those classes you always want to take, then search for them on YouTube. From the comfort of your front room, you can enjoy almost any class. I especially love belly dancing. I look ridiculous, but my stomach feels great after.
Not only should you avoid eating in front of the TV, you should watch less of it. We spend so much time living through our TV screens, we barely have a chance to enjoy the world around us. What else could you be doing? Go for a walk, paint something, learn a language, clean, read a book, make a tasty dish… there are so many activities you can do, why keep living your life through characters on a screen? I have to admit, I am quite bad with this one. I tend to stumble on a series on Netflix and end up mashing it together with re-purposing furniture. Best of both worlds, I guess…
When you set yourself a water target, you naturally weigh less. Many of us do not drink our daily recommended intake of water each day. If you purchase a re-fillable bottle and aim to drink your way through it a couple of times, you can change this. Doing this will aid sluggish digestion, improve circulation, and reduce bloating. You are also less likely to confuse thirst for hunger, which makes life easier all round.
Making lifestyle changes rather than adhering to a regime is a great way for busy women (and men) to ditch pounds. The basic concepts of eating less and moving more are easier to apply to your life when you make them fit in around your other responsibilities. Before you know it, you will be devising your own lifestyle changes. If you have corner cutting ways to lose weight, what are they?