It’s pretty hard to lose weight when you eat in excess and avoid exercise, right?
With a lack of motivation and the desire for instant gratification (or pleasure), it’s no wonder that people find losing weight difficult.
In fact, many lose sight of their original reasons to lose weight and end up gaining back all the weight they lose and more because of this lose-lose situation.
If you’re one of these people, then I think it’s time to change your ways. As a matter of fact, I want to share with you a way on how you can achieve weight loss success by starting your journey from where you are.
The 4 most important ways to lose weight
- Change your lifestyle.
While losing weight is not impossible, it’s hard for you to lose weight when you continue with your old habits: eating in excess and avoiding exercise.
Let me help you change that by giving these tips on how you can lose weight while still living your normal life.
– Eat 5 small meals every day. At least 3 of these should be protein-based, such as lean meat or fish and eggs. When you spread your meals out throughout the day, it will make you feel less hungry in general.
– Stop eating when you’re 80% full (instead of that feeling like a stuffed turkey the moment you’re done eating). It’s really hard to lose weight when you eat in excess, so stop doing it and be mindful of what your body needs.
– Try to lose 1 pound a week or lose 2 pounds a week if you’re feeling extra ambitious. Losing more than this is not recommended because it might put undue stress on your body at a time when it’s trying to lose weight.
- Find what motivates you and run with it.
Did you lose some weight before but find yourself gaining back all the pounds lost? If so, then this is probably because you lose sight of your initial reasons for losing weight in the first place.
So find a motivation that works for you and use it daily.
– Dieting can be easy if you lose weight with the right mindset. Don’t lose sight of your dreams to lose weight because doing so chokes your progress.
– Do whatever gets you out of bed in the morning. Are you feeling lethargic and too tired to lose weight? If so, then find ways on how you can increase your energy or eat less food throughout the day.
– Remember that dieting and exercise are not punishments. Again, lose sight of your goals if you’re doing this for someone else. Diet and exercise because you want to lose weight (and be healthy) for yourself.
– Reward yourself with something you like. If you lose weight and feel good about it, then celebrate your wins (both big and small). Just remember to be healthy in doing so. A small cup of ice cream won’t hurt your progress!
- Start exercising now.
To lose weight, you need to exercise because it’s hard to lose weight without burning calories. If you have no idea how to lose weight, then this is the first step towards it.
If you want a workout plan that will help you lose weight fast, then I recommend these tips for beginners on how to lose weight while still enjoying food and having fun:
– For at least 30 minutes daily (but preferably 60), do aerobic exercises such as running, jogging, or cycling. You lose weight by burning fat and the most effective way to do this is through creating a calorie deficit through exercise.
– Strength train for 30 minutes daily (but preferably 60). It’s best if you alternate your cardio with strength training because it gives you more lean muscle mass and allows you to burn more calories even when resting.
– If possible, lose weight with a friend or partner who will keep you motivated. Relying on yourself isn’t always easy, so work extra hard if you have someone who shares the same dreams as you do. If you can’t find a friend or partner because they’re too busy, you can always bring with you your pet in the gym. Or if the local gym is not pet-friendly, you can always walk with your pet for some light cardio workout. But you can always adjust to your desired level of intensity by adding weights to your legs.
- Sleep well
Most people know that they lose or gain weight depending on their diet and how committed they are in their exercise routine. But what people do not know is that a good night’s sleep can also make you lose weight.
How does one lose weight while sleeping?
When we sleep, the activity of eating is reduced and the desire for food is also reduced. It was discovered that during deep sleep, brain waves are stimulated to lose weight. This is because brain activity in the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that receives signal from the stomach when it’s hungry or full) was decreased and this makes a person lose weight. I remember back in the day in the college dormitory when my dorm mate would tell me in jest to sleep my hunger off when we ran out of food in the fridge.
In order to lose weight, we should be active during the day and try to lose it at night by sleeping well. We lose weight by sleeping well. Sleeping pills can also make you lose weight but they may affect the person’s ability to sleep deeply and this defeats the purpose of taking sleeping pills. It is for this reason that we highly-recommend taking natural sleep supplements instead of prescription sleeping pills to avoid side effects.