Weight loss is an overall process. You need to think about many factors. There are many sensible things you can do that will make a tremendous difference over the long term if you need to lose weight. It can be done in a healthy way. This is what has worked for me.Keeping a food journal really does help. It will give you a much better sense of how much you are eating, and when, and why.Make a few additional small changes - walk everywhere, always use stairs instead of elevators, walk on escalators, get up and move around at least once an hour if your work or your life in general is sedentary, walk every day, use a pedometer. Walking 10,000 steps a day is a really good idea. Build up to a long brisk walk everyday, or most days. Be more active and watch less TV and spend less time on the computer. Buy one piece of exercise equipment to have at home and be strict with yourself about using it. Sometimes you can find mini-steppers or exercise bikes at second hand stores and thrift stores for just a few dollars.Start a weight lifting routine. Join a gym. Possibly you can find one that has someone who specializes in weight lifting programs for beginners. Weight lifting will increase your metabolism as well as improve posture and appearance overall. Even if you can t get to the gym you can work out at home using things around the house. Invest in a good weight training book. The Dummies series actually has a good one. In terms of diet, cut out or reduce things like junk food, pop, fat, fast food. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish. Particularly if you choose a vegetarian lifestyle include natural peanut butter, hummus, dried fruit and nuts. Pay close attention to getting the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Make your portion sizes smaller. Use a smaller plate - in our society we have become accustomed to thinking that we need a large plate of food at every meal, and we don t. About quarter of your plate of food should be protein and at least half of it should be veggies. Learn to count calories. At your current weight and activity level, you may possibly need about 2000 calories or more to maintain your current weight. So you will lose weight at a reasonable and healthy rate if you cut back to about 1600 or 1700 calories a day. Eat small amounts frequently, rather than three large meals. Never skip breakfast. Include some protein in your breakfast. It will help get you through the day.Drink plenty of water, at least 8 big glasses of water a day, and more if it is very hot, if you sweat a lot, or if you are exercising intensely, and eliminate fruit juices. Fruit juices have too many calories, so get your vitamins from fresh fruit, not the juice. You will begin to see changes in your body. An area that many people overlook is getting enough sleep. You are much more likely to overeat or to binge eat if you are tired and not well rested, so get enough sleep.Check out websites about nutrition, exercise, weight training, etc. Here are a few helpful links.http://www.nutrawatch.com/http://www.caloriesperhour.com/http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_ea��http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Weight-the-H��http://weightloss.about.com/cs/fitness/a��http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/fe��
If you want to lose weight, you need to two things: eat less and exercise more. Weight gain happens when you create a calorie surplus (eat more than you burn). Your body takes the excess calories and converts them to fat which get stored around your stomach, arms and thighs. The longer you remain in a calorie surplus, the more weight you ll gain. To lose that weight, you need to do the opposite. You need to create a calorie deficit (start eating less than you burn).Your first step is to figure out how many calories you burn on a daily basis. Use a calorie calculator - http://calorieneedscalculator.com The number you get from this tool is what your body burns on a daily basis. To lose weight, simply eat less. It sounds a lot easier than it is but making small changes helps you adjust to a new lifestyle. Don t think of this as a diet, think of it as a new life. Instead of eating foods high in sugars, white flour and saturated fat, go with fruits, vegetables, whole wheats, fish, lean meats, nuts and beans. In addition to eating less, you also need to exercise more. Start off at 1-2 times per week and work your way up to 3-5 times per week.Don t make all of these changes at once or you won t be able to properly adjust to them. Generally, eating healthier foods will decrease your calorie intake. Compare a doughnut to an apple and you ll see that healthy foods are lower in calories. You can find some more information at the Beginner s Guide to Dieting - http://straightdiet.com
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