Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century. The vast majority of overweight people want to lose their excess weight and become healthier. And the first thing people usually do to achieve this goal is find a
fad diet to get on. But the problem with these diets is that most of the weight you lose when you're on the diet is water weight and comes right back as soon as you come off the diet. The fact of the matter is that
diets don't work in the long term for most people.
Would it make a difference in your life if you knew
how to lose weight without having to worry about dieting? You can get the ball rolling without having to follow a strict diet. Just make these easy but very effective changes to your lifestyle that will help you lose weight – and keep it off.
Learn to Read Labels
In order to lose weight you have to start paying attention to food labels. You won’t be able to effectively count calories if you are unable to determine a serving size and its calorie count. When you start to compare the labels of different items you will be able to make much healthier choices. Once you are making healthy choices about what you eat you will have more success with weight loss.
Snack Smart
You will be able to maintain your blood sugar and prevent overeating if you get in the habit of eating something every three hours or so. Allowing yourself to get too hungry will hinder your efforts to lose weight. You will be able to control the portions you eat and make healthier choices if you are not starving yourself. Choose a satisfying but healthy snack like a slice of low-fat cheese along with an apple. Even though eating more often may seem counter intuitive, snacking wisely will make it easier to lose weight.
Eat Plenty of Produce and Whole Grains
Eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains will do more than just improving your overall health and reducing your risk of heart disease; they also aid with weight loss. You will be able to eat more of these items since they are low in calories. Filling up on these healthy foods will leave less room for you to fill up on less healthy foods. Additionally, whole grain food items contain plenty of fiber which will help you feel more satisfied. These items are really helpful when trying to avoid overeating and practice portion control which will help you lose weight.
Eat Often and Eat Enough
Skipping meals is a very bad idea when you are trying to lose weight. Many times people will decide to skip meals in an effort to cut calories, but they usually don’t end up losing weight this way. You will be prone to overeating when you finally decide to eat something. If you don’t eat regular meals your body will try to conserve calories and goes into starvation mode. Sometimes this will cause you to gain rather than lose weight.
Drink Adequate Amounts of Water
Water is important for several reasons when you are trying to lose weight. Believe it or not, drinking more water will help get rid of excess water weight and will alleviate bloating. By replacing drinks that are high in calories with water, you will save hundreds of calories. Don’t wait until you feel thirst to drink water since thirst is often mistaken for hunger. This can result in overeating. Keeping your body properly hydrated will give you a feeling of well being which keeps you motivated to lose weight.
Start Moving
It will be very difficult to lose weight and keep it off if you aren’t getting regular exercise. Start today by going for a bike ride or taking a brisk walk. Start off with just 10 minutes a day and work your way up to 30 to 40 minutes. Try to do this most days of the week and you will begin reaping health benefits and seeing weight loss within a few weeks. Additionally, exercise will jump start a sluggish metabolism, making it easier to drop the weight.
Practice Portion Control
It may seem like a real chore to measure your food, but is a necessity if you really want to lose weight. When you begin compare what your typical serving would have been to the measured recommended serving size. Don’t be surprised if you realize you were eating 2 or 3 times the amount that is recommended. You won’t have to measure forever; you will eventually learn to eyeball the portion size which is an invaluable skill for long term weight loss.
Keep a Diary
The first thing that anybody that wants to lose weight should do is keep a food diary. Write down anything and everything you eat and note the time that you ate it. You can do this in a notebook. Keeping a food diary will help you identify any changes that need to be made for you to lose weight.
