Wednesday, March 23, 2011

So You Wanna Lose Weight....



Like most women, the thought "I want to lose weight" probably runs through your head hundreds of times each day. Being able to succeed in losing weight can mean the difference between happiness and misery for some women. Being a mom makes it even more difficult to lose weight because most women either don't have the time to exercise or, if they do, they'd rather spend it with their kids! Well, not only is losing weight possible but it's easy to do with simple lifestyle changes,. Knowing the right way and also the healthy way to do is key. The first thing you must do if you want to succeed at weight loss is change the mentality that losing weight is something that will happen quickly. Change the idea of "I want to lose weight" into the idea "I want to be healthier" and start making positive changes in your lifestyle to do so.

First and foremost, set goals that are realistic and that you're able to achieve. Take into account your health and abilities. For example, instead of saying, "I want to lost 20 pounds", say "I want to lost 1-2 pounds a week in the next 5-6 months. That will give you a realistic weight loss goal within a realistic weight loss time period. Each week that you lose 1-2 pounds, you will be achieving your goal and feel better about yourself already. If, on a certain week you don't meet your weight loss goal, you adjust your exercise and/or eating habits the following week.

In order to lose 1-2 pounds a week, you must add exercise to your daily routine if you don't exercise already. Start with adding 30 minutes of exercise to your day by walking, jogging, swimming, riding a bike or climbing stairs. The 30 minutes can be completed all at one time or separated into two or maybe three 10-15 minute increments. If you're schedule is hectic and it doesn't allow for 30 minutes of uninterrupted time, the smaller increments would be a more attainable goal for you. Start an "I want to lost weight", or better yet, an "I want to be healthier" exercise diary and log your daily exercise time to make sure you meet your exercise goals each day.

In addition to adding exercise, you must also change the way you eat. A great way to start is by keeping a food diary. Log every meal and morsel you eat throughout the day so as to not cheat yourself. Set a realistic calorie goal allowing you to lose the 1 - 2 pounds per week you set out to lose and adhere to that. If you've reached your calorie limit by 6pm, then limit yourself to tea, water or light options such as sugar free Jello after that. Remember that approximately 3,500 calories equal a pound. Cutting 500 calories from your daily intake and burning an additional 500 calories through exercise would allow you to lose 2 pounds a week without much sacrifice. If you're satisfied with losing 1 pound a week, your changes can be as minor as cutting 250 calories per day and doing the minimum 30 minutes of exercised required.

As you can see, losing weight and getting healthy is not difficult to do. It means making minor life changes and some small sacrifices that will all pay off in the end. Start by thinking "I want to lose weight", make the necessary lifestyle changes and, by the end of your journey, you won't have to think "I want to be healthier" because you already will be!

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