Tip 1
Don’t forget to make yourself a priority.
We can become so busy in our lives that we neglect our health.
Make time to buy and prepare healthy foods. Make time to exercise.
Also, make time to relax and take healthy breaks.
You’re worth it!
Tip 2
Understand that the short feeling of pleasure gained from certain foods or alcohol can create a longer feeling of displeasure from being unhealthy and overweight.
True happiness cannot be created by stringing together short bursts of pleasure.
Tip 3
When we make decisions based on fear, we want to lose all of our weight immediately. We can then fall prey to all the “Lose Weight Quick” fad diets and supplements out there that can’t be sustained and may be unhealthy or ineffective.
Accept your current weight because that’s what it is at the moment. Fighting “what is” just creates tension. Then make a decision on a healthy eating plan that you can live with in the long-term. Make this decision from insight, not fear.
Starving yourself for a month to lose weight quickly is unhealthy and ineffective and can cause you to gain back all the weight and more.
Tip 4
When we beat ourselves up on the journey to losing weight, it’s like working for an angry, critical boss. This can cause us to quit. Try to be patient and encouraging and celebrate every small success. Focus on the habits of eating healthy and exercising and don’t focus so much on the scale.
When planting a seed, focus on giving it water and sunlight and then be patient for it to sprout. Yelling at it to grow does nothing but frustrate you.
Tip 5
When we go out to dinner or a social event with an “anything goes” attitude, then “anything” can happen in terms of food and drink choices. Try to plan ahead how you’re going to handle the event and do your best to stick with your plan. Enjoy yourself but set some healthy boundaries too.
When eating out, if bread or chips are on the table, ask your server to take them away so you’re not tempted. Similarly, if an item comes with a side of fries or chips, you can ask for a side of vegetables.
Keep in mind though, if you’re eating “clean” most of the time, you can enjoy some indulgences and still look good and be healthy.
Tip 6
Don’t just focus on the “quantity” of calories, look at the “quality” of calories.
Fat free, sugar free jello may be low in calories, but it’s also low in nutrients. Whereas an apple is low in calories but has fiber and nutrients. Nutrients are the building blocks of health and support a healthy metabolism.
Tip 7
Find pleasure in healthy, non-addictive foods. We all have our “trigger” foods that we have a hard time with having in moderation. Try replacing those foods with non-addictive ones. No, it won’t give you the same “high”, but you will also not be gaining the extra weight from having an excessive amount of it.
Tip 8
Weight loss can sometimes be oversimplified as “eat less & exercise more”. While that may be true for some, it may not be true for everyone.
Eating too little can slow down metabolism and affect weight loss. Eating the wrong types of foods can affect weight loss. Over-exercising can affect weight loss. Performing the wrong types of exercises can affect weight loss. Stress can affect weight loss. Medications can affect weight loss. And the list goes on…
Tip 9
Have some tools to deal with stress in your toolbox. If your only tools to deal with stress are eating, drinking and intense exercise, then when you’re under a lot of stress you will either over-eat, over-drink or over-exercise. This will just add more stress to an already stressed system. Some healthy activities that can be incorporated are diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi, chi gung or walking. You can even purchase guided meditations. Remember to “be” and not always “do”.
Tip 10
We may think we’re eating healthy because we’re eating “healthy” foods. We may not realize that they may not be healthy for us because of our genetics, food allergies or a compromised digestive system. We are all unique an we need to pay attention to how our body reacts to certain foods. If our digestive system is compromised then we will not absorb nutrients properly. If you suspect you have some digestive issues, find a good practitioner to help you.