Remember that a lot of personal trainers and nutrition experts say that the best way to lose weight is to do so gradually. If you do this, it’s more likely to remain off. If you lose weight too quickly, the result is that you’ll end up losing:
- Muscle,
- Bone, and
- Water
Check out any diet book in your nearest bookstore. It will claim to have all the answers to successfully losing weight and keeping it off:
- Some argue that the key to weight loss is to eat less and exercise more.
- Others will say that low fat is the only way to go.
- Yet others will prescribe cutting out carbs.
Which one is true?
What is beneficial for one person may not be for you. This is because our bodies react differently to various foods. The reason for this is on genetics and other health factors.
To find the process of weight loss that’s best for you will probably take time. You will need patience and commitment. You will need to allow yourself the freedom to experiment with different foods and diets.
This being said, there are several best-practice tips that you can follow to help you to lose weight and to see which one works for you.
Counting calories
The road to weight loss isn’t direct. When you count calories, you may lose weight for the first few weeks. However, when something changes, you’ll eat the same number of calories – as you were doing previously – but you won’t lose weight. This is because when you lose weight, you’re losing water and lean tissue. You’re also losing fat. Your metabolism slows down. Besides, your body changes in other ways. This means that to continue dropping weight each week, you need to continue to take calories out of your diet.
A calorie isn’t always a calorie
For sustained weight loss, the trick is to ditch the foods that are packed with calories but don’t make you feel full (such as candy and white bread sandwiches). Replace these with foods that will fill you up without being filled with calories.
Avoid carbohydrates
Every one of your meals should incorporate a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables. Creating your meals like so will automatically cause your carbohydrate intake to be in line with the recommended range.
Head to the gym
The extent to which training helps people to lose weight is open to debate. However, the benefits reach far beyond burning calories.
Exercise and keeping physicallyfit can increase your metabolism in addition to improving your outlook on life. Exercising is something you can benefit from right now. Go for a walk, stretch and move around. You will become more energised as a result. You will find that you have the motivation to tackle the other steps in your weight-loss programme.
Short on time for a lengthy workout with a personal trainer? Three 10-minute spurts of physical activity per day can be just as good as one 30-minute workout.
Remember: anything is better than nothing. Begin slowly. Do small amounts of physical activity every day. As the results of your weight loss become noticeable and become more energised, you’ll find it more natural to become more physically active. Find an activity you do enjoy because, if you like the exercise that you do, you’ll be more motivated to stick to it.
We’ve outlined some strategies for losing weight. However, remember that if one doesn’t work, don’t get discouraged! Try the next and the next until you find a fit.