Losing weight is absolutely difficult. If it was not, there would not be a single overweight person in the world. Who would want to subject themselves to all the mocking and ridicule that a lot of overweight people can attest to having have experienced most of their lives? Who would want to deal with the shame and hardship of not being able to find clothes that fit their body right?
It will take serious dedication and commitment to get rid of those excess pounds that have made your life tough for many years. It will bring a lot of sweat and tears, too. But, if you have made up your mind that you are going to do it, that you want to be fit and healthy, you have to be ready to take on the obstacles and challenges along the way, and not easily give up.
To help you get started, you should be aware of the important dos and don’ts regarding weight loss. Below are information that should lead you to the right path towards your goals:
DO: Eat healthy food.
The number one factor that affects the rate and quality of your weight loss journey is food. If you have the habit of eating fastfood for lunch and junk foods for snacks, you should ditch that right away and change. You should replace oily, fatty, greasy, and crap foods with nutritious ones that can provide your body the sustenance that it needs to perform its functions more efficiently. You should go for healthy grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.
DON’T: Skip meals.
While not eating can sometimes contribute to weight loss, it is not healthy at all. If you starve yourself, you are forcing your body to switch to its survival mode. If this happens, all the extra fat, sugar, and other substances that you should be getting rid of to lose weight are kept sealed tight in your body because it thinks it will not receive anything for an extended period of time. Your metabolism rate also decreases, resulting to poor digestion and fewer calories burned.
DO: Drink lots of water.
Many scientific studies have found that the more water you drink, the faster you burn calories. Thus, to lose weight faster, you have to consume lots of water everyday. Ideally, you should have at least 8 glasses of water per day to feed your body the amount that it needs to be able to do its jobs throughout the day and night. And, if you also exercise or workout, you are advised to drink more to hydrate your cells, tissues, muscles, and organs, so that they can repair and recharge as soon as possible.
DON’T: Drink soda and alcohol.
Every time you go out for lunch or dinner, you probably always order a can of soda or beer, or a glass of wine along with your food. However, because you want to lose weight, you should stop drinking these beverages. Soda and alcohol are loaded with calories that you do not want to stack on to the already overwhelming amount that you have to burn. In addition to that, they hold no significant nutritional value, and they only slow down your body’s ability to break down and absorb nutrients, minerals, and vitamins from the foods that you eat. They impede your metabolism, preventing your body from creating sufficient amounts of glucose to ensure that you have healthy blood sugar levels.
DO: Keep track of your food intake.
Weight loss is primarily about calories in versus calories out. If the calories that you get from the foods that you eat add up to less than the calories that your body burns, you will lose weight. You can use mobile apps where you can log your meals everyday, and help you compute how many calories each food item you eat per meal has. You can set a calorie limit per day, depending on your current weight, desired pace of weight loss, and other factors. If you can keep your caloric consumption equal to or less than the calorie limit everyday, you should have no problem shedding off those extra pounds in as fast as a week.
DON’T: Completely deprive yourself.
To lose weight, you do not have to bid your favorite sweets or pastries farewell. You can still enjoy these treats once in a while, as long as you take them in moderation. For example, every week, you can choose one meal where you enjoy a small serving of ice cream, beer, or some of your other indulgences. You can also assign a day or two every month as your “cheat day” when you can eat a little bit more, and go a few hundred calories over your daily caloric limit. Doing so gives you something to strive harder for and to look forward to.
DO: Keep your eyes on the prize.
It will not be a bed of roses. You will often find yourself wanting to surrender. Imagine how tough it will be to suddenly quit drinking or cut your caloric consumption down to 1,500 a day from your usual 3,000. That will require serious willpower, and test how much you really want that healthy body. If you keep fighting, and not lose focus, you will find your way to the top, and realize that all the sacrifices are worth it.
DON’T: Beat yourself up too much if you make mistakes.
Hunger, oftentimes, is just too overpowering. If you wake up in the middle of night with your tummy grumbling so loudly, and you decide to eat the leftover pizza in the fridge, do not be so hard on yourself afterwards. Do not attempt to throw up. Do not feel like you have failed. Do not even think that it is over. That is just one misstep that you can fix. What you can do is work harder in the future, probably plan your meals better, so that you do not feel so starved frequently.
