Losing weight will never be the easiest thing you’ll do. However, staying at a healthy weight protects your health in many ways. A normal weight staves off things like heart disease, cancer and other health problems. In addition, a lifestyle that supports a healthy weight is one that incorporates nutritious foods and plenty of exercise. Both habits also protect your health in many ways. Losing weight doesn’t have to be so hard. Use these basics to help you shed excess weight and keep the number on the scale where it should be.
1 You Have to Burn More Calories than You Consume
The bottom line when it comes to weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. A diet high in calories, but lacking physical movement will make the weight pile on pretty quickly. By cutting calories from your meal plan and adding exercise to your daily routine, you can burn more calories than you take in, a sure fire way to drop that weight in no time.
Frequently asked questions
2 Losing One Pound Means Burning 3,500 Calories
I know that number seems really overwhelming, but if you create a deficit of 500 calories per day for one week, you can lose a whole pound. Do this by skipping the soda at lunchtime, eating extra veggies and less cheese on your salad and having your chicken baked rather than fried at dinner. Simple steps add up so don’t feel like it’s totally hopeless.
3 Fat Has More Calories than Other Nutrients
Your body does need some fat to function, but fat contains 9 calories per gram, while protein and carbs only contain 4 calories per gram. That means that limiting fatty foods is a sure fire way to drop your calorie intake. Plus, protein and carbs give your body energy so it makes sense to get more of those nutrients and less fat. When you do have fat, make sure it’s the healthy kind, like that from salmon, avocados and nuts.
4 Drinks Can Really do You in
Many women wonder why they aren’t losing weight, but aren’t considering the liquid calories they’re taking in. That includes soda, energy drinks, coffee beverages, juice, sweet tea and milk. When you fail to take into account your liquid calories, you could really be hindering your weight loss goals. Swap these items out for water and you can easily save yourself hundreds of calories every day.
5 Writing It down Can Really Help
Many women who have successfully lost weight and kept it off credit their food and exercise journal. Recording everything you eat and every workout you do helps hold you accountable. Who wants to write down that they ate two Big Macs and a large fries for lunch? A journal also helps you see patterns that derail you so that you can take steps to prevent it from happening in the future.
6 You Have to Exercise on a Regular Basis
Yes, revamping your diet can help you lose some weight, but adding exercise is vital to long term success. Not only will it help you burn calories, but it will also build lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass boosts your metabolism, helping your body more efficiently burn calories. Choose an activity you enjoy so that you’re more likely to stick with it.
7 The Changes You Make Will Be Lifelong Ones
Even when you reach your goal weight, you will have to stick with your new healthy habits to prevent it all from coming back. You’ll need to eat healthy and work out regularly to keep your body in its new tip top shape. Of course, you have a bit more leeway to cheat now and then, but resist going back to your old habits.
8 Abs Are Made in the Kitchen
Any fitness instructor or nutritionist will tell you that an in shape body is 80% diet and 20% exercise. While exercise is important, you're not going to shed pounds with your hand in the cookie jar. You need to be mindful of what you put in your body and fuel it with the good stuff for optimal fat burning throughout the day.
9 Water Will Sustain You
Your body is made up of about 75% water, which is why proper hydration is so important to dietary needs. Dehydration can be confused for hunger, it also wreaks havoc on your body by causing bloat. Adequate water intake (about 8-8oz glasses a day) will keep your body running at its prime and flush out any unnecessary toxins.
10 Sleep is Your Best Friend
Out of control food cravings are a sign your sleep is lacking. It's recommended adults get 7-9 hours of sleep a night if they want to take back control of hunger and food cravings, and prevent unnecessary weight gain.
