Now that Spring has officially sprung, I am ready to get outdoors again and to shed off the 15 lbs. I gained over the winter. Every year…I tend to put on weight during the cold season and this year, I am determined to get it off by June 1st.
Today, I wanted to share with all of you some of my best weight loss and dieting tips and I am hoping that you will share some of yours with me.
1. Count your calories! I keep a little notebook and document the calories of everything I put into my body. That includes beverages, food and even a small hard piece of candy.
2. Make sure you are burning up more calories than what you are consuming! I keep an approximate count of all of my physical activity and try to make sure I burn off (work off) more calories that I am taking in. (hence, this goes hand-in-hand with tip #1).
3. Change the way you eat! You can not lose weight if you are sitting around eating doughnuts, potato chips, gallons of ice cream, cookies, brownies and all of those high calorie foods. While they are good, they pack on the fat that you definitely don’t need. Instead, eat low-calorie yogurts, fresh fruits, snack on fresh veggies, Italian ice, etc.
4. Get a weight loss partner! Grab a friend, spouse or family member and lose weight together! Help motivate one another to eat healthier, get more exercise and hold each other accountable. Having a support “person” can help you stay focused and motivated.
5. No Excuses! Since I am chronically ill and have had a hip replacement, I often use “pain” as an excuse to not get out there and exercise. I need to stop the excuses and keep moving. I found that walking, yoga, meditation and swimming are low-impact and exercises that I can do.
6. Don’t be lazy! Park further away when running your errands so you need to walk a little more. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get busy and clean your house more often (it will be spotless) and you will burn more calories because you are up and moving around & not sitting on the sofa!
7. Drink water! I believe in the power of water! Ditch those high calorie soft drinks, juices, etc. I drink a lot of water which has zero calories and I make sure I drink a full 4-6 oz. of water before each meal. The water helps to full up my belly so that I don’t over-eat at meal time.
So, there you have it. Just a few of my personal weight loss and dieting tips. I would like to know if you have any tips to share?
Get moving. Don’t hide that you are trying to get healthier or lose weight from others. Be proud of your accomplishments and realize you have to have some cheating, you will have set backs, but you can move forward. I am trying small changes that I hope will lead to bigger ones. Cutting back on favorite sweets and snacking. Making sure to get in veggies. Also, I recently heard about a T of apple cider vinegar before a meal to help with metabolism.
I have a question that you don’t have to answer but we’d love some direction. My daughter was very sick a couple years ago. It’s hard to recover. Her bones and strength are very weak and poor quality. Do you have any suggestions on specific exercises besides walking?
I wish you luck with losing weight. All your tips are good. I have found that it is very important to start the day with a heaLthy breakfast. For years I had to rise very ally to go to work and I could not eat breakfast. when I retire I started eating a healthy breakfast and at first lost weight without even realizing it.