Sixteen Can't Miss Weight Loss Tips
I have read probably every exercise and nutrition book and article on the market. I have always been fascinated with health and losing weight. I find great joy in watching "the Biggest Loser" and "Makeover-Weight Loss Edition". I am like a sponge obsessed with learning new weight loss and exercise tips. Through my online fitness coaching I often try to share everything I have learned with my friends and family but it is so hard to summarize everything I know and would like to share. So, I have finally done just that! I am sharing with you my sixteen tips for weight loss. These are principles that I apply in my own life that have worked for me. I promise that if you do these things you will see awesome results! If you would like further advice or are interested in speaking with me feel free to also sign up for a free account. I would love to help you in your fitness journey!
Sixteen Can't Miss Weight Loss Tips:
1. Eat Breakfast-They call it Break-Fast for a reason. When you eat the first meal of the day you are breaking the fast from sleeping and you rev up your metabolism for the day. Try to eat within a half an hour from rising.
2. Eat every 3 hours-5 small meals- Think of your body like a furnace or a car. If you don't fuel the furnace then your body will not run properly. If you continuously fuel your body with proper nutrients and healthy snacks your metabolism will stay revved up. A lot of people have the misconception that if they starve themselves they will lose weight. If your body goes into starvation mode then it actually holds onto fat. Here is an example; 7am-eat breakfast, 10am-morning snack, 1pm-lunch, 4pm-afternoon snack & 7pm dinner (adjust this according to when you get up). Despite what we were taught growing up breakfast & lunch should be our bigger, heavier meals because we have the rest of the day to burn them off. Dinner should be a lighter meal like a salad with lean chicken breast.
3. Avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed-Your body cannot rest if it is trying to digest food all night. If you do not get enough proper rest you will not perform well during the day and your body won't have a chance to rest and rebuild.
4. Eat Clean-Eat as many organic and fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. You also can eat whole grains and healthier carbs (such a quinoa, sweet potatoes, and 100% whole wheat products). Avoid processed foods, white bread, candies & desserts.
5. Avoid Empty Calories-Whenever you eat something make sure it has a purpose for your body and nutritional value. You want to eat things that will provide you with nutrients, vitamins & minerals, and energy. A doughnut has none of those things. You need to eat to survive, not survive to eat. If you are eating (or drinking pop) and it doesn't have nutritional value you are simply eating for pleasure purposes. This is referred to as emotional eating. Everytime you go put food in your mouth ask yourself what the purpose is behind it.
6. Clean out your cupboards-This one is huge! The old saying "out of sight out of mind" is so true. If it is in your cupboard it is one step away. If you want something the chances of you taking time to go buy it and spend money are far less then if it is already in your cupboard. If you are serious about losing weight and getting healthy you MUST clean out your cupboards and replace your junk with healthier options. You also have to get your entire family or anyone else living in your house on board.
7. Do the 80/20 Rule-We are all human. We cannot be perfect all of the time. However, if we are "good" most of the time we will see results. If you try to eat well 100% of the time you will fail and then you will feel shameful about it. I recommend following the 80/20 rule. This means that you strive to eat well and workout 80% of the time and allow yourself a break 20% of the time. What does that look like? Say you worked out Monday and Tuesday and you also didn't slip up on your eating either days. On Wednesday someone brings birthday cake into the office and it is from your favorite bakery. Eat that cake! However, if you have a lot of co-workers and there is always some type of celebration you can't say yes everything. Pick your battles.
8. Make Working out a priority-DO NOT SAY "I don't have time". We all have the same 24 hours in a day and even the busiest people find time to workout. You have to make working out a priority just like eating, going to work or dropping the kids off at school. The easiest way for me to make it a priority is to workout first thing early in the morning before I go to work and before everyone else wakes up. This way I know that nothing else the rest of the day will interfere with my workout. If time is a problem you need to find a workout you can do in a short amount of times such as T-25 (25 minute workouts) or P90X3 (30 minute workouts)
9. Don't drink your calories-You will not believe the amount of calories you consume by drinking pop, juice or adding creamer and sugar to your coffee. Try to stick with water, black coffee or plain tea. I know a lot of people who lost weight simply by eliminating pop. Make sure to do it slowly though. Each week decrease the amount of pop you drink every day. Believe it or not I used to be addicted to Mountain Dew and I would drink up to nine cans a day. Now, just looking at it makes me feel sick.
10. Get a good support system (accountability group)-As a Beachbody coach I am constantly starting and joining my own accountability groups over Facebook. I cannot tell you how many mornings I woke up super tired and wanted to blow my workout off. However, I pushed through and did it because I knew I had to report back to my group that I did my workout. If you don't join a social media group then get a running buddy or friend to go to the gym with you. Ask someone to read your food journal that you write down everyday. Sign up to run a 5K or join a local fitness challenge. If you have a lot of negative people in your life get rid of them! You need a good support system now more than ever.
11. Add Variety to your workout routine/mix it up-If you continue to do the same type of workout and moves your body will quit giving you new results. You cannot go to the same aerboics class or lift the same amount of weights and see results. You have to mix it up and create muscle confusion in your body. If you aren't sure what this looks like or don't know where to start I recommend trying a Beachbody workout program such as P90X or Turbo Fire. All of their programs have variety and change it up. The other benefit is that it keeps your interest and prevents you from being bored.
12. Don't pick just cardio or just strength training- Cardio is awesome for improving endurance and burning calories. Did you know though that if you lift weights and have toned muscles that you burn calories while you are sleeping and resting even? Up to an extra 300 calories a day! Do not worry about bulking up. Women do not naturally bulk up when they lift weights and even most men have to really work at it or take supplements to bulk up. Strength training is also important to help with everyday things like carrying groceries or holding the kiddos. Make sure to incorporate strength training into your weekly workout routine.
13. Go by inches & how you feel-not the scale-The scale is not an accurate assessment for how you are doing with your weight loss. You may be retaining fluids or have a gain in weight because of an increase in muscles mass. If you constantly stare at the scale you may become discouraged. Rather than focus on the scale measure how many inches you are losing, how your clothes are fitting, and most of all if you FEEL better. It is about getting healthy not hitting a perfect number!
14. Make it a lifestyle not a diet-I think it is natural instict to want what we can't have. So, the minute you declare you are on a diet you automatically want to eat more junk! If you truly want to maintain a healthy weight and get healthy and fit you have to decide that you will follow this lifestyle for the rest of your life. Keep the word diet out of your vocabulary and instead call them goals or new changes.
15. Find a substitute for your favorite foods-There are sooo many healthy alternatives to our favorite foods. You just have to do some digging and experimenting to find new recipes. I promise you though that you will acquire a taste for your new versions fo the food you love. For example, if you love pasta try to use 100% whole wheat noodles. I have replaced my sugary coffee creamer with chocolate almond milk and raw sugar. You can still have your favorite foods on occassion but there are great alternatives to try to curb your cravings on a more regular basis. Check out our recipe section for some new recipes to try today.
16. Find a good (healthy!) pre-workout drink & replacement meal drink-I would fall short on my workouts and my eating if it wasn't for my two best friends-Shakeology and Energy & Endurance. When I wake up I am NOT Suzie Sunshine. I am tired and I do not want to workout. However, I down a glass of Energy & Endurance and I am a new woman. I am energized and focused to workout. The same goes with Shakeology. I cannot tell you what a lifesaver it has been. There are so many times when I don't have time to make a healthy breakfast or lunch and I would normally swing through a drivethrough or grab another unhealthy alternative but instead I mix up Shakeology and BAM-nutrition in a shake! If you don't have back-up options or quick healthy fixes you are more likely to throw in the towel when it comes to eating and working out. I go with E&E and Shakeology because I have done my research and they truly are the cleanest supplements out there. They are worth the money!!
I encourage you to pick a handful of tips from this list and add a new one every week. The goal is to eventually do all sixteen. It may take some time to make these a habit or learn what works for you. But, there are no shortcuts. Losing weight is going to take discipline and action steps. Like I said earlier, if you follow these-I promise you will see results!
Best Wishes on your weight loss journey!
Megan
