The reasons to lose weight and get into shape are numerous. For the majority of people, the goal is to shed a few pounds to fit into smaller clothes or to improve their physique in a bathing suit. Others, however, need to lose weight for potentially serious health reasons. Whatever your motivation, there are a variety of weight loss tips and principles that can help you.
An honest assessment of your personal situation is very important in setting realistic short term and long term goals. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by establishing goals that are not realistic. This will only leave you disappointed and will cause you to become less enthusiastic about your venture. Depending on your current body weight, getting to an ideal weight may be a long process that will require lots of sacrifice and hard work.
Many people try diets and exercise programs and quit before true results can occur. Quite simply, losing weight is very difficult. Vitally important is that you accept this fact and prepare for changes that must occur. Resorting to gimmicks and fad diets rarely work, and when they do, the weight tends to come back. For truly effective and permanent weight loss, you will have to take a serious and realistic look at your lifestyle.
Most individuals who choose to undergo this venture will be forced to adjust many different aspects of their daily lives. This includes a variety of poor dietary decisions. An unhealthy diet will not only cause weight gain, but it will also cause a number of serious health problems.
A diet that is loaded with saturated fat and sugar is not only bad for your health, but it is a key component in weight gain. It is advisable that you begin eliminating most fast food and many of the packaged, processed items that you find in grocery stores. A healthy diet needs to consist largely of lean meat, fresh vegetables, and fruits. Things like turkey, baked chicken, and fish are great sources of protein. Pair these meats with raw vegetables to create a healthy meal.
Another very important part of the diet is hydration, an area that is often overlooked even by health-conscious individuals. For the most part, you will need to abandon the majority of sodas, sports drinks, and energy drinks. These items are loaded in sugar and calories that will disrupt your progress. The absolute best way to hydrate the body is clean water which is ideal in avoiding water retention, keeping energy levels high, and flushing out toxins from the body.
You may also want to consider shaking up your eating schedule. Most people subscribe to the traditional “3 meals a day” philosophy. These three meals tend to be very large and often hurt our metabolism. Instead, try eating 5 or 6 smaller meals every day, approximately every 3 hours of so. Aim to make each meal between 300 or 400 calories each. It takes the body around 3 hours to digest food. Keeping a constant but controlled flow of food is great for keeping your energy levels and mood at their peak, but it will also keep your metabolism fired up and will increase your overall resting metabolic rate.
A good, healthy diet full of natural foods is important, but it is best when paired with regular exercise. Those who live an active lifestyle that utilizes both cardiovascular and resistance training will see results much quicker. This is also a major lifestyle change, but it is a necessary one. This may all seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it is very reasonable. Remember to take this process one step at a time, and consider each day you stick to your goals a victory.
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