There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of different ways to lose weight permanently and effectively, but choosing the right method for you can be a trying task. Permanent weight loss is about commitment and persistence.
How many times have you experienced the joy of shedding a few lbs only to discover that you’ve regained the weight just as quickly as you’d lost it? Not a good feeling!
However, some strategies can help you achieve your long-term goal of permanent weight loss. Below we’ve provided a list of 10 Top Tips For Permanent Weight Loss which will help you to stay on track as you battle the bulge.
1. Make losing weight a habit
According to those in the know, it takes approximately 1 month to form a habit.
So yes your diet or exercise regime might seem like a chore now but, the longer you stay focused and committed, the more it will become part of your daily or weekly routine.
Not only will you succeed in reaching your target weight, but you will also have developed a healthy resource to help you keep that weight off permanently.
2. Find the right time to start
As mentioned above, the path to losing weight permanently takes some serious commitment. You have to be honest with yourself as to whether or not it is a good time in your life to start on this journey.
Life circumstances can dictate and determine the success of your attempts to lose weight.
If you’re currently experiencing problems at work, in your relationship, financially or otherwise, you could probably do without the additional stress of a weight loss regime. Only you know what your limits are.
3. Set realistic goals for yourself
Set small achievable weight loss goals rather than attempting to lose mammoth amounts of weight each week. It’s going to make you feel pretty bad when you fail, so why put so much pressure on yourself?
Instead, take the time to work out what you can achieve realistically and build this up slowly.
You’ll end up feeling more motivated once you reach your target and this will spur you on to set even larger goals.
4. Eat less burn more
There is no point in spending an hour or so in the gym only to come home and immediately splurge on junk food as a substitute for a healthy meal.
Sure if you’re working out on a regular basis, you might start to notice you’re becoming more toned.
However, if you make no concerted effort to reduce the sugar and fat intake in your diet, your rippling muscles will remain covered by rolls of fat that, for some reason, you are unable to shift. Hmmm, could be those french fries and burgers you consistently tuck into after each workout. Will anyone ever get to see that sexy six-pack that you know resides beneath a layer of fat? The solution: burn more calories than you take in.
If you’re serious about losing weight through exercise, you should be watching what you eat. Reduce your calorie intake by keeping a close eye on how many calories you consume on a daily basis.
Pay special attention to the labels on food packaging so you’re fully informed about what’s going into your body. And don’t forget to exercise to get your body to burn that fat.
5. Don’t completely throw away the treats
Having said all of the above a little snack food every now and then isn’t going to completely ruin all your hard work and will even act as a motivator.
Just because you’re working your butt off to lose weight doesn’t mean you can’t be good to yourself and everyone in a while.
Go ahead and enjoy the odd chunk of chocolate, just be mindful of the extra calories you’re ingesting and adjust your overall intake and workout plan to reflect this.
6. Drink water for improved weight loss
Believe it or not a lot of people find displeasure in drinking water. It’s boring! And we often don’t like to make time for the boring stuff in life.
Besides, surely with all the cups of tea, coffee, and sodas that get consumed throughout the day, you’d figure you were taking in enough water content to make do. Wrong! Unlike all those liquid substitutes, water does not contain any toxins, sugar, or chemicals. Its purity will not dehydrate you and will help to increase your metabolism, aiding any diet program you choose to follow.
Also, if you drink water before your meal it will create a sensation of fullness and you will naturally want to eat less.
7. Don’t feel like you have to do it alone
Enlist the help of your friends and family, even if they are not on the quest to lose weight. By sharing your goals with the people around you, not only will they support and encourage you during the tough times, you will be surrounded by people who will take you to a higher level.
What would it mean to let them down by not sticking to your part of the deal? Now if you’re thinking that sounds like a guilt trip … it is!
8. Understand your relationship with food and the reasons for being overweight
People experience being overweight for a number of reasons: genetic disposition, medical conditions, and emotional, psychosocial, or sociological factors. Therefore each person’s relationship with food is different.
The key is to understand what the root causes are for your being overweight and how that relates to your food intake in order to combat your situation.
For example, if you overeat because food is connected to how you feel emotionally, work to understand what the emotional triggers are that lead you to run straight to the food cupboard and then tackle them head-on.
9. Know your food intake threshold
There are times when our stomachs are full and yet we continue to eat; Christmas is a case in point, where we pack so much food in it results in temporary bodily shutdown (AKA falling asleep on the sofa).
Why do we do this to our bodies? The key then is to only eat when hungry. That means learning to stop eating when we feel satisfied, something which will take a lot of practice but if you can conquer this one, you’ll stay on track to losing weight.
10. Think healthy, not skinny
Your goal here is to lose weight in a steady and healthy way that is right for you.
Body image is a huge buzzword of this era, and there is a tendency to compare ourselves to others. We look at supermodels and want to be as skinny or as ripped as them.
But remember, each person has a different genetic makeup, and if your body is naturally curvy, pushing yourself down the skinny path is not going to be good for your health in the long term. Think healthy and realistic weight loss, not skinny.
This isn’t an exhaustive list and no doubt you will come across a plethora of articles on how to lose weight permanently and effectively.
Finally, do bear in mind that losing weight is very much an individual mind, body, and soul thing, so take your time and figure out what is going to work best for you in the long run.
No Responses