The title may be a little misleading here, those of you who have been trying know that weight loss isn’t really simple! The steps you can take are quite simple, but the act of putting them into practice and staying consistent is what challenges most people. Unfortunately, I can’t be with you 24/7 to make sure that you stay true to your diet, that part is up to you alone. But for those willing to take the necessary steps to get started in the right direction, this article is for you!
1) Drink More Water
Water is a wonderful thing. Containing zero calories, you can drink this stuff all day every day and never can a single pound. Granted, its not as tasty as those sugary high calorie drinks, BUT if you’re looking to lose weight then keep it to water only! Just think, if you replaced one coffee with cream and sugar and one glass of orange juice per day, you would be saving yourself roughly 300 calories per day!
2) Think About WHY you eat
What causes you to eat/overeat? Whether it's stress, boredom, depression, too busy to cook healthy, etc… almost everyone resorts to eating at times under certain situations. Hence the term “comfort foods.” And by the way, if you didn’t know, anything labeled comfort food is off limits if you’re trying to lose weight! Once you have identified WHY you eat, come up with a more positive solution to the problem. Exercise when stressed, call a friend when sad/depressed, go for a walk when you’re bored, prepare all your meals at once if you’re too busy.
3) Get Your Butt Moving
A huge factor to weight loss burning calories. Well guess what, you’re not going to burn calories sitting on your butt all day! Think about this simple equation if you’re trying to lose weight
The more you move ---> The more calories you burn ---> The more weight you lose
Whatever it takes to get moving more, do it! Join a gym, find a running partner, go for walks. An easy step to take is to download a pedometer (free app on smart phone) and track your steps each day. A good starting point is to aim for at least 8,000 steps per day!
4) Be Prepared
I can’t stress this one enough! If you are not prepared, you WILL stray the course! Have you ever found that you had nothing healthy left to eat in the kitchen, so you had to have a quick unhealthy snack or “forced” to get take-out? Happens all the time. Be prepared, always have healthy food stacked in the kitchen, it will pay off.
5) Eat Less Processed Carbs and More Protein
I see it all the time, people think they are getting a lot of protein in their daily diet, and usually they’re way off. If you throw a couple slices of deli meat between two slices of bread, do you think you’re getting a lot of protein? Nope, hardly any at all. If you down 2 tbsp of peanut butter do you think you’re getting a lot of protein? Maybe 6g… so not that much. When I say protein im talking straight up PROTEIN! Fish, eggs/egg whites, chicken, beef, pork, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein supplements if you need it, etc…
6) Track your foods
People hate to do it, but it's a surefire way to make sure you’re getting just the right amount of calories, and just the right amount of macronutrients (carbs/fats/proteins). I am a huge supporter of Myfitnesspal, I use it every day. Sometimes when people first start using it they’ll find that their carbs are over 50% of their day's calorie intake, and that is too high if you’re trying to lose weight.
7) If you want to enjoy drinks, do it wisely
I think it's safe to say that the average person enjoys drinks every now and then. First make sure that what you drink isn’t completely unhealthy (sugary concoctions)... some of these drinks can be 500+ calories and well over 50g of sugar. Another smart method to implement is to have one water after each drink. This will not only ensure that you stay hydrated (alcohol dehydrates you), but will slow your consumption of high calorie beverages, and potentially save you hundreds of calories in a day.
8) Forget the crash diets/ miracle pills/ ridiculous claims
We’ve all fallen for this at some point in our lives. Its best to forget they ever existed and move forward focusing on good old diet and exercise, the ONLY true path to weight loss!
9) Take the stairs!
Next time instead of the elevator or escalator, take the stairs. Park in the furthest parking spot from the store when you go shopping. Ride your bike to work when it's nice out. Walk 5 minutes to the store instead of driving. All of these easy steps are guaranteed to help you burn more calories… we just need to all stop being so LAZY!
10) Throw out all the unhealthy food in your kitchen.
Now, do it…. no seriously right now, go do this! You will thank me later!!! You can’t crave what's not there! If you have unhealthy food that you love in the house, you WILL eventually go for it! Especially if you are not prepared with healthy foods. I don’t care if its for the kids, or the husband/wife, or visitors. Get rid of it :)
Thanks for reading guys, and questions please feel free to reach out to me!
Until next time, keep it healthy.
Brian Lepine
Fitness Fusion Easthampton
413-977-3938
brianlepine@me.co