Have you tried to lose weight about a million times? Perhaps you found a plan you liked but soon lost interest and motivation. Maybe you’ve even tried extreme dieting, fasting and intense exercise regimes. Everyone is unique, so every weight loss plan should be as well. From the information below, you’ll learn what to do, and what not to do when it comes to losing weight.
It is necessary to monitor calorie intake when losing weight. You can’t lose weight if you consume a greater amount of calories than you burn. Consuming an excess amount of calories will hinder your weight loss efforts. Logging your consumed calories in a food journal will hold you accountable and inform you of how much you’ll need to burn.
You can lose weight by associating with those who enjoy physical activity. When the people around you are active, it will inspire you to get out and enjoy an active lifestyle yourself. Spending time with a couch potato will likely influence you to curl up on the couch with them.
For losing weight, one great idea is to suck some ice cubes when you are hungry for snack food. This can eliminate the urge to snack, especially during those times when you aren’t really craving food so much as wanting something to keep your mouth busy.
If you want the pounds to drop, you must stop eating prior to your bedtime. Calories from food or drinks that you ingest prior to going to sleep at night will not be burned off by your body in the same way as they are when you are awake and active. It will turn into fat and stay in your body as you sleep. Make sure you eat at least several hours before bed.
You can lose weight by walking. Walking gets your metabolism up and going, helps to lower blood pressure and speed up digestion. When you walk, you burn 500 calories each hour, the same as a smaller meal.
When you’re dieting, don’t drink alcohol with meals. Alcoholic beverages contain many calories and impair your judgment. This may cause you to eat more than you had planned. You will fill up with calories and gain nothing nutritionally.
Switch to decaf. Drinking decaf is great because it has less calories. Decaf coffee also contains an abundant amount of antioxidants that can actually assist you in losing weight.
If you are following a diet plan and plan on going to some event that will be serving lots of food, you should always consume a fairly big meal immediately before leaving to go to it. If you feel full, you are less likely to succumb to those fattening snacks being offered. If you are going to drink, avoid calorie-intensive mixed drinks, liquors, and beer in favor of a moderate serving of wine.
Practice makes perfect, and that applies to weight loss as well. Try something new and give yourself ample time to see results. You don’t need to be hard on yourself or give up. Think about your goals realistically. You can’t drop ten pounds in a week. So why set yourself up for failure like that? Make it a goal to lose about 2 pounds a week. Stay with it!