Tips to Losing Weight and Keeping it Off
It is likely you have found that there are many products out there marketed to help you lose weight. There are pills, fad diets, and crazy pieces of exercise equipment. However, the real way to lose weight effectively is the old-fashioned way. If you are overweight, it is because you take in more calories than you burn. In order to lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn. This is much easier said than done, but some simple tips can make a big difference.
First, take a look at your eating and drinking habits. Many people consume many of their calories from sugary drinks. Fruit drinks and sodas have little nutritional value and are loaded with sugar and "empty" calories. In fact, one can of soda contains more sugar than an entire chocolate candy bar! Eliminating soda and sugary drinks is a great way to start losing weight.
Next, look at your portion sizes. Many of us eat more than we need to at our meals. Take your normal portion size and cut it in half. When you are done eating this smaller amount, wait a few moments before reaching for seconds. If you are full, stop eating! You can easily get a snack later if you are hungry, but consuming too much in one sitting is a typical way to gain weight, not lose it.
In fact, if you are serious about losing weight, the best way to do so is to eat smaller meals more times each day. Make these meals healthy, and aim to have three small main meals and two healthy snacks throughout the day. This will help keep your hunger at bay, and you will no longer feel famished at meals, which can tempt you to overeat.
Many people find it difficult to know what foods are healthy to eat and how to determine proper portion sizes. If you're one of these people, or if you simply don't have time to figure it all out, do the grocery shopping, and preparing of healthy meals, you need to look into Nutrisystem and Medifast. These diet plans provide delicious meals that are healthy and easy to prepare. It takes a lot of trial and error to come up with healthy recipes that taste great, so why not leave it to the professional chefs at Medifast and Nutrisystem? They not only offer delicious food, they are already at the proper portion, so you can enjoy meals and snacks throughout the day without measuring and calorie counting.
Once you have control over your eating habits, it is time to add exercise into your daily routine. You need to get thirty minutes of exercise on a regular basis. Aim for exercising at least five times a week. If spending a few hours at the gym is your idea of torture, remember that it does not have to be strenuous exercise. Simply add thirty minutes of walking to your day. This will burn tremendous amounts of calories, and when you couple exercise with improved eating habits, you will see the pounds coming off.
Finally, add some strength training into your exercise routine. Remember, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat. This means that if you can incorporate some simple strength training exercises into your workout, you will increase lean muscle mass, jump starting your metabolism and leading your body to burn more calories even when you are at rest. This can be as simple as a few exercises with handheld weights, or as complex as an hour of strength training at the gym. The point is you need to make the effort to build muscle.
These tips on healthy eating and getting exercise can help you not only lose weight, but also keep it off long term!