Tips for Losing Weight
So it's 2017, the start of a new and better year, the start of a new and better you. After a hectic end of year it's easy to want to loose weight, and what better time to do it than the start of a new year. The start of a new year is a tip in itself because it pushes you not to give up, so not to let the year down, and a lot of people are on the bandwagon with you. Firstly I made the decision to be realistic and start my diet the first week in, as my house was full of chocolate Christmas presents and New Years party leftover food, so I allowed myself the temptation, only so I could get right down to business on the 9th. It's not too late for you reading right now, if you put your mind to it and decide to start right now you've already made a healthy step forward. Now you're goal here doesn't need to be to lose weight. It could also be just to get healthier, and make sure you're eating the right kinds of food, as its easy to feel low and unhealthy when you have bad eating habits. Whatever the case, jump on the bandwagon, follow these tips and DON'T give up.
Tips
1 Drink loads and loads of water. You've probably heard this so many times if you've been looking around for tips, but that's because this is great advice. Water is so good for you and has absolutely no calories at all. Not only that but it flushes the body of toxins, so if you want to loose weight, you actually need water. It also keeps you full and hydrated throughout the day. You are recommended to have 2 litres of water a day, although some studies have said as long as you drink when you are thirsty you'll be fine. In my personal opinion I like to stick with the 2 litres because in my personal experience, I feel better mentally and I feel a lot happier when I'm drinking more water, seriously switching normal drinks for water will improve your mood so much. Don't completely abandon your old ways if you for example like a cup of coffee in the morning, because I still have my coffee and frankly need it for the day ahead. Also if you are working out you must keep your liquids up. If I was to give my own recommendation to this tip it would be to try lemon and ginger water. I have it every morning. I put it in a travel mug so I can take it on the go to kick start my morning and get my metabolism going. Basically all you do is cut a slice of lemon and put it in the mug, then grate some ginger, only a little bit because it's strong, then just pour in water and take it on the go!
2 My biggest food tip is just stick to the organic stuff. As long as you make things fresh and homemade, there's no reason you'll need to skip meals, or cut out particular foods like meat or dairy. I would probably find it too hard to stay away from those foods that I love, so instead just eat smaller portions, of organic foods - stay away from processed. This would include a homemade omelette, I like to leave pasta in there, if I make my own sauce, yogurt and granola is healthy and ensures your still getting the right nutrients and vitamins, tuna fish is really good for diets, homemade soup, porridge and chicken breast. I might put up a recipe of the way I like to prepare my chicken using yogurt and breadcrumbs. For some extra advice - coconut oil, read up on it, its a miracle product, and you can try and use it instead of other oils you use in cooking.
3. The 3rd tip is quite an obvious one, but stay away from sugar and fizzy drinks. Natural sugars are of course in a lot of things, so you are still getting the sugar you need in your diet, but going overboard can lead to a higher chance of getting diabetes, and can lead to you feeling less content. Too much sugar can also cause spots. The best thing to do is try and and cut down gradually if this is something to do often. Changes can't happen overnight, and even for me it took a couple of weeks to make small changes before what I would actually call started a diet. Crash dieting and just cutting these things out have a lower chance of being effective in the long term. Making small changes can benefit you being use to eating sugars less and making it part of an actual routine. You can still enjoy these luxuries of course but in moderation!
4. Smoothies! When you're in need of a snack and you would usually snack on a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps, whip up a smoothie. Smoothies are healthy, full of nutrients and depending on what you put in them they can do different things like relieve headaches and help with digestion. Recipes can easily be found online, they are quick and easy to make, and you can take them on the go!
5. A little rule I also find helpful is to make little rules for myself like when to stop eating, for example I stop eating after 8. I find this is a good way to help not binge or snack after a meal. You can rotate this around your own life but I find that it helps.
6. It's nice to cheat, so have rules around cheating. Limit yourself to one cheat day a week, where you replace one of your healthy meals with a takeaway, or you have a small chocolate bar after your meal, making sure you still have more calories out than in.
7. Exercise - it was going to be on the list at some point. Diet comes first, it's hard to loose weight when you don't change your diet and only exercise. They say that diet is so much more effective and you can loose weight from just diet alone, but doing exercise helps so much more as it allows a higher calorie deficit which increases weight lose, and helps you burn fat quicker. Not only does it lower all of your risks of diseases, but like drinking more water it can help mental health and I find it really motivating. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. It can also be small things, again rules, for example one of mine is ALWAYS take the stairs.
8. Pilates is something I would recommend to do, it's easy and relaxing, it's a form of exercise without all the sweat. I'd recommend this for people who don't like too much exercise. You can do it anywhere at anytime and it's great for toning up. I would recommend also going to the gym so you can loose weight and tone yourself up, as these both go together, the days you're not at the gym, pilates all the way.
9. Planning. Planning is the most effective way to diet, you need to make a plan that fits around you and that can't happen overnight. I wouldn't say to go cold turkey and start a diet without doing research. In all honesty it took me a month to have a trail and error process, to see what fit with me, what worked and what didn't and to really get my head in it. Don't worry if you keep seeming to fail, eventually the psychology of it will kick in and you'll not give in. Make a plan that fits around you, and try your best to stick with it, constantly reminding yourself of the reason you're doing the diet in the first place, and why you can't give up.
10. My last piece of advice is to help set your goals and ensure you don't give up, and that's to get an app. You can put your starting weight, the goals you want to stick to, and you get rewards and badges when you reach your targets. The app is use is called fitbit, it's free and I really find it helpful as it helps me set goals for myself by giving recommedations, and then helping me stick to them!
Lazy Sunday Girl 💜x
Tips
1 Drink loads and loads of water. You've probably heard this so many times if you've been looking around for tips, but that's because this is great advice. Water is so good for you and has absolutely no calories at all. Not only that but it flushes the body of toxins, so if you want to loose weight, you actually need water. It also keeps you full and hydrated throughout the day. You are recommended to have 2 litres of water a day, although some studies have said as long as you drink when you are thirsty you'll be fine. In my personal opinion I like to stick with the 2 litres because in my personal experience, I feel better mentally and I feel a lot happier when I'm drinking more water, seriously switching normal drinks for water will improve your mood so much. Don't completely abandon your old ways if you for example like a cup of coffee in the morning, because I still have my coffee and frankly need it for the day ahead. Also if you are working out you must keep your liquids up. If I was to give my own recommendation to this tip it would be to try lemon and ginger water. I have it every morning. I put it in a travel mug so I can take it on the go to kick start my morning and get my metabolism going. Basically all you do is cut a slice of lemon and put it in the mug, then grate some ginger, only a little bit because it's strong, then just pour in water and take it on the go!
2 My biggest food tip is just stick to the organic stuff. As long as you make things fresh and homemade, there's no reason you'll need to skip meals, or cut out particular foods like meat or dairy. I would probably find it too hard to stay away from those foods that I love, so instead just eat smaller portions, of organic foods - stay away from processed. This would include a homemade omelette, I like to leave pasta in there, if I make my own sauce, yogurt and granola is healthy and ensures your still getting the right nutrients and vitamins, tuna fish is really good for diets, homemade soup, porridge and chicken breast. I might put up a recipe of the way I like to prepare my chicken using yogurt and breadcrumbs. For some extra advice - coconut oil, read up on it, its a miracle product, and you can try and use it instead of other oils you use in cooking.
3. The 3rd tip is quite an obvious one, but stay away from sugar and fizzy drinks. Natural sugars are of course in a lot of things, so you are still getting the sugar you need in your diet, but going overboard can lead to a higher chance of getting diabetes, and can lead to you feeling less content. Too much sugar can also cause spots. The best thing to do is try and and cut down gradually if this is something to do often. Changes can't happen overnight, and even for me it took a couple of weeks to make small changes before what I would actually call started a diet. Crash dieting and just cutting these things out have a lower chance of being effective in the long term. Making small changes can benefit you being use to eating sugars less and making it part of an actual routine. You can still enjoy these luxuries of course but in moderation!
4. Smoothies! When you're in need of a snack and you would usually snack on a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps, whip up a smoothie. Smoothies are healthy, full of nutrients and depending on what you put in them they can do different things like relieve headaches and help with digestion. Recipes can easily be found online, they are quick and easy to make, and you can take them on the go!
5. A little rule I also find helpful is to make little rules for myself like when to stop eating, for example I stop eating after 8. I find this is a good way to help not binge or snack after a meal. You can rotate this around your own life but I find that it helps.
6. It's nice to cheat, so have rules around cheating. Limit yourself to one cheat day a week, where you replace one of your healthy meals with a takeaway, or you have a small chocolate bar after your meal, making sure you still have more calories out than in.
7. Exercise - it was going to be on the list at some point. Diet comes first, it's hard to loose weight when you don't change your diet and only exercise. They say that diet is so much more effective and you can loose weight from just diet alone, but doing exercise helps so much more as it allows a higher calorie deficit which increases weight lose, and helps you burn fat quicker. Not only does it lower all of your risks of diseases, but like drinking more water it can help mental health and I find it really motivating. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. It can also be small things, again rules, for example one of mine is ALWAYS take the stairs.
8. Pilates is something I would recommend to do, it's easy and relaxing, it's a form of exercise without all the sweat. I'd recommend this for people who don't like too much exercise. You can do it anywhere at anytime and it's great for toning up. I would recommend also going to the gym so you can loose weight and tone yourself up, as these both go together, the days you're not at the gym, pilates all the way.
9. Planning. Planning is the most effective way to diet, you need to make a plan that fits around you and that can't happen overnight. I wouldn't say to go cold turkey and start a diet without doing research. In all honesty it took me a month to have a trail and error process, to see what fit with me, what worked and what didn't and to really get my head in it. Don't worry if you keep seeming to fail, eventually the psychology of it will kick in and you'll not give in. Make a plan that fits around you, and try your best to stick with it, constantly reminding yourself of the reason you're doing the diet in the first place, and why you can't give up.
10. My last piece of advice is to help set your goals and ensure you don't give up, and that's to get an app. You can put your starting weight, the goals you want to stick to, and you get rewards and badges when you reach your targets. The app is use is called fitbit, it's free and I really find it helpful as it helps me set goals for myself by giving recommedations, and then helping me stick to them!
Lazy Sunday Girl 💜x
