Simple and healthy weight loss tips

Weight loss is something that a lot of people don’t know how to achieve.  They either don’t know the right ways to go about it, where to start, they might desire an easy, quick route, or need motivation to even try.  I don’t think its any secret that obesity is an epidemic in America.  I think we are making great strides to living healthier lives, but have a long ways to go.  I am listing simple and healthy weight loss tips, that you can implement into your daily lives and start today!

First, ask yourself why are you wanting to lose weight?  Are you severely overweight and needing to lose some pounds for the benefit of your health?  Are you going on vacation soon and will need to fit into your favorite swimsuit? Or……have you recently looked at a Victoria Secret magazine wondering how you too can be a size zero????? Maybe you’re wanting to get back into your favorite pair of jeans you’ve been tucking away in your closet for several years and you need a boost in your confidence.  Whatever the reason, make sure its not for the wrong reasons.  Meaning, if you are 5’7 wanting to be 100 pounds, you are asking for a host of health problems and wouldn’t be healthy!

So many people don’t have the energy to lose weight because they’ve already decided in their head that its hard and they cant do it.  Certainly not true! A person can do anything they set their mind to, and if you let your thoughts determine what you can and cant do, then the problem is your mental state, and you need to work on that first before wanting to lose weight.  Get a checkup at your physician to make sure you don’t have any underlying health issues like hypothyroidism or heart concerns, inform them you are going to take these steps to lose weight and get the thumbs up approval from him/her.  If you’re like a lot of people that see a commercial or article in a magazine about a quick weight loss 100% effective drug, you’ll be greatly unsatisfied with not only wasting your money but risking your health along with your time!  THEY DON’T WORK and YOU WASTE YOUR MONEY.  Simply put.  If they promise to help you lose 5 pounds or 10 pounds the first week, or have ephedrine in them, that should be a big red flag for disaster.  The faster you lose weight, the quicker it can come back on-causing a yo yo effect.  Bad ingredients such as ephedrine increase the heart rate which HELLO, can cause a heart attack!

Starving yourself doesn’t work either because not only does it shut down your metabolism(which is the powerhouse to burning fat and extra calories), but you’ll only end up binge eating later. Plus the weight will come back even faster, causing that yo yo effect yet again, its becomes a vicious cycle.

Here are some simple and easy ways to kick start your weight loss:

1. STOP drinking soda and choose to drink your weight in oz of h20.  If that’s still too hard, simply switch to a better option like green tea or La Croix sparkling drink
2. STOP USING OLIVE OIL and start using organic unrefined coconut oil to cook with.  I use this one  and really like it. Coconut oil is a healthy fat. There’s so many benefits of using coconut oil that I will get into more details with a later post. So many people try to cut fat out of their diet, when certain fats are beneficial, plus they satiate your stomach and help you feel full longer.
3. SWEETS, BREADS, Alcohol-if its difficult for you to give up all 3 at once, just choose one and drop another one a month later.  So many foods break down and turn to sugar in your body and then in turn create fat, if you don’t burn them off with exercise (this doesn’t mean eat a lot of fruits either because fruits are very high in sugar).  Alcohol can really pack on the weight-hence the good ol “beer belly” Even if you have the mindset that a vodka soda with a splash of lime is low in carbs and you can get away with it…..that’s not so.
4. EXERCISE– before or after work, start walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week.  This is a very achievable goal and trust me on this one, if you cant/wont do the other things I’ve mentioned, do this one!!!!! Exercise is sooooooooo important!!! I don’t care if you have a newborn, toddlers, stay at home parent, working parent, you can schedule 30 minutes to simply go walk at least 3 times a week.  One of the ways I helped keep myself sane through the newborn stages with my children was getting outside and walking.  Since I stay at home with them, that meant they had to come along with me.  Put them in a stroller, wear your baby(which will only lead to burning more calories), and get moving.  The fresh air ALWAYS helps you.  If your toddlers are driving you crazy, get em outside for a walk.  If your teen is driving you crazy, a walk can help you bond and spend some probably much needed 1 on 1 time with them, or if your family as a whole is driving you crazy and you need some alone time, out the door you go! Get up earlier before you start getting ready for work, its amazing how serene and quiet it can be outside, early in the morning, or walk 30 minutes after dinner(in hopes that your significant other has cleaned up the kitchen by the time you return).  If you don’t have much time to spend with your girlfriends, ask them to walk with you and catch up on things and make it a weekly event, this is a good way to be held accountable.  If you are hesitant to walk one day, you’d feel bad letting your friend down you were scheduled to meet, so you should just GO!!!  Exercise increases blood flow, increases your metabolism, strengthens your body, there’s just a multitude of reasons to exercise.  Can you tell I’m very passionate about it? Get yourself some cool workout outfits to help you feel good burning off some of that weight.  I got these shoes  last year and absolutely love them and one of my favorite high impact sports bras I always wear and I have multiple pairs of these shorts because they don’t give you muffin top and have built in brief, work well for all kinds of workouts and come in a ton of colors. Once you have stuck with walking for a while, move on to incorporating weight training into your routine.  Remember, skinny is not sexy, a toned body is! Look for upcoming posts on workouts.
5. PROTEIN– I consider protein to be one of the most important categories of food that we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Lean protein such as chicken, fish, beef, turkey, and tofu are all great options to eat daily. You can bake, grill, use in a stir-fry, crock pot, just stay away from deep frying. Since I do a lot of weight training and H.I.I.T workouts each week, I try to average at least 30 grams of protein each meal. Typically a person not training that much should shoot for 20 grams of protein each meal. Start looking at your labels, is an item packed with carbs/sugars? If its hard for you to get in your protein, you can always supplement with protein powder.  I really like this plant protein or garden of life also tastes great because they don’t cause bloating and tastes just as good as whey.
6. EAT OFTEN-meaning eat at least every 3 hours.  Much longer than that and your metabolism slows down causing you not to lose weight. By eating every 3 hours, this helps increase and keep your metabolism revved so you actually in turn burn more calories. Now when I say eat every 3 hours, that doesn’t mean eating chips, candy bars, or fried chicken.  Maybe that will be my next post-healthy snack ideas!
7. Portion size-anything larger than the size of your fist is too much.  Focus on the amount of your portions

I promise if you start with these simple tips you’ll be setting yourself up for success.  You’ll be smiling as you hold up your jeans you’ve been dying to get into for so long, giving them a pep talk saying ” I WILL be able to not only get you past my thighs, but you WILL button this time for me”    Don’t rush it, give yourself positive affirmations and take baby steps.  If you think of weight loss as a race, you’ll be in a race you’ll never win.  A commitment takes time.  Losing weight slowly is being smart. Don’t be hard on yourself, but be honest with yourself.  Tell your inner self that YOU CAN DO THIS.  Your body will thank you, your over all health will thank you and as a result, you’ll have more confidence in yourself.

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