At some point in our lives, most of us have faced unwanted weight gain. If you’re like I, you gained weight during pregnancy and it has become the unwanted house guest. You want it to leave, but it insists on occupying every nook and crevice of your body. I decided to jumpstart my weight loss this year and have set a goal of 50 pounds by the end of the year. So I would like to share with you some of the tips and strategies I’ve found are working for me thus far.
(1) Eat breakfast. This is stressed on almost every diet site and in every diet book you read and there’s a reason for it: it works! If you eat breakfast in the morning, it jump starts your metabolism, and it will also curb your appetite later on the day. I have found I tend to overeat when I don’t have breakfast because I’ve waited too long to get some food into my system.
(2) Spread your meals out. I know, I know. You’ve heard this before, but trust me, you’ll love yourself if you do this! Eat smaller meals throughout the day and it’ll help you to not overeat. You will stay fuller longer which will help dampen your sweet tooth or tendency to snack in between meals. Most of us eat twice a day and end up snacking on chips, and other goodies. If you portion your meals over the course of the day, you’ll find you stay fuller longer.
(3) Drink water. Health professionals have recommended that we drink 8-10 glasses of water a day for many decades. This helps rid your body of unwanted toxins and keeps you healthy. Most of our body is made up of water.
(4) Prepare your meals in advance. This helps me a lot. If I don’t prepare a lunch and I’m on the go, I won’t stop at a fast food restaurant. This saves me tons of calories because goodness knows if I eat out, I’m going to probably not eat the healthiest items on the menu. If you’re better than me, great! Do what works for you, but I’d rather eat something I’ve prepared and packed than stop at the local burger joint on the corner where I’m likely to get a 400-calorie burger, 300-calorie fry, and 300-calorie drink. That’s almost my entire daily recommended number of calories for one meal!
(5) Work out first thing in the morning. Now this I do because my day gets so hectic, work wears me out, I want to spend time with the kids, etc. that if I put off my workout until later, later never arrives and before I know it, I’m in bed getting ready for the next day. Plus, I’ve been told by various trainers that if you workout on an empty stomach that you’re burning stored fat and not just burning the calories you just ate.
Try these tips and let me know if any of them works for you. I’d also love to hear what works for you so I can ensure I get down to the weight I so greatly desire. Good to luck to you and I look forward to sharing more on my journey to weight loss!