Reduce Your Fat Intake
Of course, one of the first and foremost things you should focus on is your fat intake. Too much fat is terrible for your body. You don’t have to get obsessive over it, but just make a conscious effort. If you need to, begin cutting back slowly. You aren’t in a race, you are doing this for yourself and that’s all that matters. This can be very difficult because of the way the media displays what it means to be “beautiful” when in reality beauty cannot be defined. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
Watch Your Calories
This is a step a lot of people have trouble with. So many people become completely obsessed and they begin counting calories as they eat anything. While this may work for some, I have never seen it work personally. Going from not counting, to counting is a big change and it makes the entire experience much more intimidating. You want to take this slow because if you stress yourself out and put too much pressure on yourself, you are more likely to fail.
Switch To Sweetener
Something as simple as cutting back on sugar does wonders for your body. All of that sugar is so bad for you and builds up quickly overtime; causing excess weight. The great thing about sweeteners today is many of them come completely calorie free and they taste very similar to sugar. Many people use them on a regular basis and said they can’t even tell the difference anymore. Equal is one that many people seem to gravitate towards.
Avoid Sweets When You Can
Don’t lie, we’ve all done it; you’re watching your weight, working out and really doing a great job then suddenly you see that cake. While you stare at it you feel guilty because you don’t want to ruin everything you’ve been working towards but at the same time you feel you deserve it. This is a battle you are never going to win if you keep tackling it that way. Approach the situation differently; instead of making yourself feel like you can’t ever have desert again in your life, just cut back. Feeling like eating a huge piece of that brownie your mother brought over? Whatever you’re picturing eating in your mind, cut in half. You’ll be surprised that once you eat that smaller piece you are just as satisfied because you got rid of the craving and you don’t have that feeling of guilt. It’s a win-win!
Switch Up Your Favorite Drinks
This world is so dependent on coffee, but a lot of our favorite drinks are horrible for our bodies. You pretty much don’t even want to know how much sugar, how many calories and other things are put into them. One great option for you would be to ask for sugar free or use Soy Milk instead of regular. Some coffee shops can even make you a coffee that’s light. If you feel that you could do better and want to try taking it a step further, why not switch to tea? There are some great teas that have no caffeine but give you an incredible amount of energy.
Take The Stairs Instead Of The Elevator
When you’re out and about; checking the mail, going to the bank or going grocery shopping; there are various things you can do to get more of a work out along the way. Why take the elevator when you can take the stairs? On your way out to get your mail? Why not walk past your mailbox, and go around the block before coming back to bring your mail inside? There are a lot of things you can do that won’t feel like exercise.
Never “Work Out”
Another way a lot of people set themselves up for failure is by using the words “work out” or “exercise”. Typically our brains register this as a negative thing. Come up with new ways to stay fit without having to work for it. If you like to dance, that’s a great way to burn some calories and have fun at the same time.
Join Some Sort Of Club
If you find you are having a tough time sticking to your plan; you can always join a club. When around other people, you are more likely to succeed because you are going to be much more motivated. Working out alone isn’t very fun.
Set Specific Goals
Still feeling like this just isn’t working for you? Sit down and think about your goals for the future. What is your motivation in wanting to lose some weight? Are you doing it for yourself, your children? Find your motivation and from there begin coming up with specific goals. Start small in the beginning so you can easily accomplish the goals. Each time you accomplish one of your goals, you are going to become more likely to succeed in the long run. Setting goals that are too hard and take to long to meet is just going to discourage you.
Don’t Give Up
No matter what you do, do not give up. Even if you promised yourself you were going to work out every day and you haven’t gotten of the couch in a month; it’s not too late. Never beat yourself up over the little things. Treat each day as a new start. If you’re upset that you haven’t done much today, put everything down as you’re reading this and go for a walk or play on the Wii. It’s never too late.
