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If you are struggling with weight loss, you are probably one of the many people who have tried some of the quick fixes which promise to help you lose weight in days only to end up either not losing any weight, or losing and gaining it right back.
Most diets are too restrictive by just limiting the calories you consume, causing your body to go into starvation mode and producing an immediate rebound effect. Start by following the following rules for weight loss, and learn to live by them to get better results.
Rules For Weight loss
1.Determine your ideal body weight
Pills, cook diets, herbal teas, and even laxatives have flooded the market to maximize sales and net profits, but the truth is, one of the golden rules for weight loss is that you have to work toward your ideal weight.
Knowing your ideal body weight will help you determine how much weight you need to lose, what type of diet to follow, and how long you should keep it. You can achieve this by using a tool as the BMI Calculator.
The body mass index is an indicator adopted by the WHO (World Health Organization) that is used for the diagnosis of low body weight, overweight, and obesity. The BMI can be easily calculated with two simple data: height and weight.
It is best to consult a health specialist or a nutritionist/dietitian who can offer a personalized analysis to have a realistic estimate of your ideal weight.
These indexes do not replace at any time a medical opinion or your appreciation since the essential thing is first of all that everyone feels good about their own body
2. Eat Healthily
For you to lose weight, you have to watch the calories you take, and how much your body needs. Eating foods that are full of fats and high carbohydrates is likely to pile up on your body and cause you to gain weight., Instead, increase your intake of high fiber foods like vegetables and fruits which give you a feeling of being ‘full’ and are also beneficial to your body.
If you clean up your diet by getting rid of fats, processed foods, and sugary stuff, then you are on your way to losing weight.
However, you should never try to starve your body in the effort to lose weight, as this will send a signal to your body that it needs to go into ‘preservation mode’ and everything you consume will be piled up in your body as your body prepares for the next starvation period.
3. Get Moving
Exercise alone will not help you lose weight, but it can increase the level at which your body burns fat. Even a slight increase in the rate at which calories are burned off can have a dramatic effect on your weight if you are eating the same as you are now and if you add exercise.
By speeding up your metabolism through exercise, your body will burn fat faster. The faster your metabolism, the faster calories are burned off even if you are not active generally.
For example, for every mile you walk, your metabolism rises slightly. In order to lose one pound, you need to burn off 3,500 calories more than you take in.
By building muscle through exercise, your body is shapely and toned, and your fat stores are reduced to a considerable degree. Incorporating exercise into your weight loss regimen will get you to your ideal weight if you are consistent with it.
If you are on a budget and cannot afford a gym membership, then you can do some exercises at home by skipping ropes, going for a run or a jog, or any other activity that will keep you on your feet.
Go early morning and late evening, walk the dog, walk in your neighborhood, walk around the mall in the winter, or during daylight hours or walk around your block to show off your new physique
4.Hydrate
This cannot be emphasized enough. You need to take a lot of water so that your body can digest what you consume. Sometimes, our bodies misread thirst for hunger, and we end up eating, when in fact what we need in our body is not food but water.
If you have difficulty taking plain water, you can always infuse it with flavored fruits like slices of orange, lemon, or even strawberries. Adding mint can also give your water a nice twist and have you taking more.
5. Hit the sack
It may sound counteractive but getting enough sleep is one of the golden rules for weight loss.
If your body does not get enough sleep, you may experience hormonal imbalances and hormones such as leptin and insulin which helps in metabolism may be affected.
Sleeping will also reduce the number of times you reach for the snack jar, and you will wake up well-rested and refreshed, so you will not need to reach for coffee to keep you awake all day.
6. Control Your Portion
Do not be deceived by thinking that as long as the food doesn’t fall into the category of fats or carbohydrates, you can eat it as much as you want. Moderation is key when you embark on the weight loss journey.
Eat only when you are hungry. and as soon as you get full, stop. One of the best ways to ensure that you take the right portion of food is to make mealtimes a special activity.
Find yourself a basic shopping list for food and get into the habit of always having healthy food with you everywhere you go. Fix your meals in advance and store them in the fridge so that you can throw a quick meal together at any time.
When you get hunger cravings, you can eat a small portion of something else, like a snack-size portion of fruit or vegetables, or some more vegetables with a small glass of vegetable juice. This will take the hunger cravings away so that it doesn’t conquer your healthy eating habits with it.
Serve your food, sit down, and eat it before you go about your other activities in the house. Do not engage in other things like watching television as you eat, since you may end up eating a lot more than you need.
7. Write It Down
You may think it is extreme, but you cannot mention the golden rules for weight loss without mentioning the importance of writing down your journey.
It includes what you eat, details of the exercises you did, and the time you took exercising, and everything you feel is important. You may be surprised at how writing down your activities will spur you into more action. It is a good way of keeping yourself accountable.
8. Do Not Give Up
When starting your weight loss journey, you should be realistic and set targets that are attainable, then work hard towards reaching or even beating your target.
You should always keep in mind that persistence and self-discipline are what it takes to lose weight. You should not beat yourself when you do not get to your target as fast as you wish. Instead, keep working towards it, and someday, if you don’t give up, you will reach your goal.
9. Stay Positive
Weight Loss Starts With Your Thoughts. It always starts with what you think about. If you believe you will never be able to lose weight, then you won’t.
What you put inside you and what you think about on a daily basis have a direct bearing on if you will ever shed weight. If you don’t think you can do it, then you won’t.
People will mock at you for this, but you have to take into account if you really do have self-discipline. You have to want to lose weight and be healthier; because the entertainment and the food are so strong that it can become very hard to refrain.
When you want to lose weight more than you want the negative aspects of your life to go away, you have to have a mindset that this is it. This is your release. Even if you have the best weight loss plan, without the right mindset you won’t be able to lose weight.
Negative thoughts will just field false hope and get you out of your desired state. You have to want to lose weight more than you want to eat unhealthy food and keep engaging in expendable actions, like taking part in binge eating.
Once you have the right mindset, you will be able to lose weight and feel much better about yourself. With the right mindset, you’ll find it much easier to stick with your weight loss plan.
10. Stay Informed on the Ongoing Research
In addition to getting rid of junk food and the fattening food, you can get into the habit of reading up on the latest research into different types of foods and nutrients and how they work.
This keeps you up to date with the latest in nutrition, calories, carbs, and fat consumption and keeps you aware of the new discoveries you can make so that the food you eat doesn’t become a major hindrance to your weight loss goals.
You have to keep aware of the studies so that you don’t waste time and effort doing things that are not helping you to lose weight. Remember, your weight loss goals can be met without having to starve yourself or count calories or stop eating the foods you love. What it really takes is a lot of desire and motivation and utilizing the right weight loss plan.
Leave your bad habits in the trash can… and don’t replace them with equally bad habits. Being able to maintain a healthy, balanced diet that gives you a good balance of the right and wrong kinds of calories, along with exercise and rest… makes it a lot easier.
People need to stop spending all their time seeking out “diet secrets”, and get back to the basics of eating healthy. If you want a diet that works, don’t look for the secret. Find what works for you.
