If you’ve struggled to lose weight and seem to have trouble sticking to a plan, these tips and tricks could help you shift those pesky pounds for successful weight loss. Although there is no foolproof plan for success, these are strategies which could really work for you.
Commit to change
The first step towards losing weight is to accept that you need to change your lifestyle – weight loss isn’t something which happens overnight, and it always requires dedication and willpower. Once you’ve made the commitment to losing weight, you can develop a plan and get started on it.
Keep your goals SMART
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and track-able. For example, cutting out dairy, sugar, meat and carbs isn’t a realistic goal, nor is dropping four dress sizes in two months. But making achievable goals can help you stay on track, keep you motivated and help you to stay on track.
Watch your portions
Portion sizes are more important than you think – over the past few decades, they’ve grown significantly which makes us overeat without even noticing. Overeating with big portion sizes will absolutely sabotage your diet, so it helps to compare your food to everyday objects. For example, one slice of bread or a pancake is the size of a CD case, 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta is the size of a cupcake wrapper, and one medium apple is the size of a baseball.
Mix up your diet
It’s a good idea to update your diet and review your eating habits when you’re changing your lifestyle. Be more adventurous, try new foods and step outside of your comfort zones. If there are fruits you’ve not tried, give them a go – you may find that you love them and it can be another thing to add to your diet to make it more interesting. Mix up your breakfast by having low fat Greek yoghurt with chia seeds, honey and berries. Opt for quinoa instead of brown rice, or try Israeli couscous for a tasty snack or lunchtime option.
Fill up on fibre
High fibre foods will keep you fuller for longer, helping you to limit snacking and helping you to stave off overeating. These include fruit and vegetables, oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta and high fibre cereals, flax seeds and prunes.
Keep a food diary
Keeping a food diary can help you stay motivated and to track where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Studies suggest that daily diaries on your food intake can help people lose twice as much weight as those who didn’t keep track. Taking the time to jot down a few notes about what you’ve eaten throughout the day can help you monitor any areas where you need to improve, as well as to help you keep track of places where you’ve done really well. It helps you to make better health choices, as you’ll see it in black and white what has gone into your body throughout the week.
Move more
No weight loss programme will work without some exercise thrown in, so you need to up your physical activity. You don’t need to spend every waking minute in the gym to see results though – the key is variety. For example, if you do one intense gym session each week, perhaps mix it up throughout the rest of week with something lighter and more fun. Dance classes, aerobics or cycling are all great options. If you get bored, you’ll be less likely to stick with it, so find something you enjoy and then enable that to give you ideas for similar activities that you may like as well.