17 – Weight Loss Tips and Tricks
Weight loss is NOT easy. Technically all you have to do is burn 500 more calories than you consume each day and you will lose one pound a week. Simple right? Most of us know what foods we should eat and that we need to exercise at least 3-4 times a week, but why do so many other factors have to make those simple things so hard? These are some tips and tricks that can help!
1. Be mindful of what and how you eat. Sit down, relax and think about how hungry you are and what foods can benefits your body the most before you eat ANYTHING!
2. Don’t ban foods or food groups, focus on the good food your body needs!
3. Drink plenty of water and never drink your calories. Water helps prevents false hunger feelings and helps your metabolism run at it’s best.
4. You can never out exercise a bad diet. It doesn’t matter how much you exercise if you don’t eat right. If you only have that last 5-10 pounds to lose, a really clean diet is what will get you over that plateau.
5. Hide trigger foods. Out of sight, out of mind. Try hiding your favorite in a box at the the top of the pantry and don’t let that delicious ice cream be the first thing you see when you open your freezer. This will help you be more mindful in your food choices. You can eat your favorite treats when you really want versus just because you see and then crave it.
6. Don’t let one bad food choice lead to a cheat day or cheat weekend. If you make a mistake that’s ok, just make up for it with healthier meals.
7. Get enough sleep. Research suggests that sleep is closely linked to our overall happiness. When we’re sleep deprived, our risk for depression increases and we’re more likely to experience higher stress levels. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to weight gain, an increased risk for stroke and an increased risk for diabetes.
8. Track your calories, it can help you be more mindful and conscious of what you are putting into your body. It may seem tedious at first, but it is truly the first step to becoming aware of what you are putting into your body. Once you are aware you can be more mindful and conscious of what you fuel and say to yourself.
9. If you fail to plan, then plan to fail. Plan your meals!!! Keep healthy foods in your home so you have options to reach for when you are hungry.
10. Wear clothes that make you feel confident and empowered when working out. As simple as this sounds, when you feel good working out, you workout longer and harder and feel more empowered.
11. Get an accountability partner or group. Join the Slique challenge with a friend, family member, or team better to hold everyone accountable to their goal.
12. Focus on how you feel, not the scale. You can be making so much progress and living healthy and not have the scale budge at all. That’s ok! Take before and after pictures and focus on how you feel and how your clothes fit. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so you may not be losing weight, but you are gaining muscle and losing inches. You can also fluctuate multiple pound in a day depending on the time of day and what’s in your system. Body measurements and pictures are more accurate ways to see progress.
13. Stay supplemented to prevent deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, this can help prevent cravings. Vitamins and minerals help your body run at peak capacity!
14. Stay committed and don’t be too hard on yourself! Weight loss takes time, it won’t happen over night, within a week, or maybe even a month. Learn to enjoy the journey of living healthy and you will eventually see results. Stay committed and remember extra weight took a long time to accumulate and it may take time to lose as well.
15. Never stop loving yourself. If you want to get in shape or lose weight, it doesn’t mean you have to not like yourself the way you currently look. You should want to get healthy because you love yourself, not because you are trying to punish yourself.
What are your favorite tips and tricks for losing weight?
