Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, and it won’t happen if you plan it overnight, either. If you want to lose weight, you should start working toward the goal as soon as possible, but you will never be successful if you don’t take the time to formulate a smart weight loss plan.
Think about Your Motivations
In order to really be motivated to lose weight, you will need to ask yourself what your real motivation is. “Looking good” can be a reason, but it won’t be enough to sustain your weight loss efforts over time. If you want to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, think about what the end goals are.
Of course, aesthetics aren’t the only consideration. Perhaps you are worried about your heart health or the increased risk of various conditions as a result of being overweight. Or, you may want to set a good example for your children or allow yourself a more active lifestyle. People have lots of reasons for losing weight, and it is important for you to identify yours before you get started.
Set Realistic Goals
Setting goals is an important part of the weight loss process because the numbers can be a lot more telling than looking in the mirror. While your eyes can fool you into thinking you’ve made no progress, tracking your changes over time (either in decreased weight or lower body mass index) can help you know exactly how well you are doing.
To set realistic goals for yourself, think about your current weight versus your target weight. Cutting lots of calories out of your diet may not be reasonable for the short term, but you may be able to build toward a diet with far fewer calories for the long term. Write out your expectations for yourself, and keep in mind that goals can be adjusted over time. Your goals should be concrete and measurable, and you should attach dates to each of your objectives.
Get Creative with Food and Activity
Eating right and exercising shouldn’t be a chore. Instead of feeling like you need to suffer to achieve your goal of losing weight, make better nutrition and activity more fun.
For your diet, try to include a wide variety of healthy foods. Healthy foods can be just as tasty as unhealthy ones, so search around for some good recipes that include healthier ingredients. Also, don’t stick to the same foods all the time if you find them boring. Eating celery sticks day after day even though you don’t like them is a great way to get tired of your diet and return to unhealthy eating.
The same is true for exercise. Activity doesn’t have to be stressful, so if you don’t like jogging, don’t jog. Pick out some simple activities that you enjoy or that fit into your normal routine. Walking more is a great example of that. Instead of driving to work, you might consider riding your bike. Small changes can build up and be very helpful over time.
Change Your Mindset
When you are on a diet, it can feel like losing weight is a never-ending battle. That’s why it’s important to change your mindset about what you are actually doing. Rather than thinking about your diet as a temporary thing to endure, think of it as changing your lifestyle. Keeping weight off will require you to continue to eat right and exercise regularly, and viewing those things as temporary is a good way to put weight back on. Instead, think of your change as a permanent shift in the way you do things.
Victory Lean is a writer at Dicigs – an Electronic Cigarette showcase. She likes to share lifestyle tips and advices for healthy living.
