Losing weight can be a tough task to carry out but not if you have the right mindset. The weight loss journey is an amazing combination of physical as well as mental discipline.
The best way to lose weight is to do it slowly by making small, achievable changes to your eating and physical activity habits.
You may like to set yourself one or two small changes to work on at a time, only adding to these once they have become your new way of life.
Be kind to yourself, if things don’t go according to plan, keep trying. You may need to adjust your goals or the time it will take to achieve them.
What you should not:
Recognising habits that lead to weight gain. Some of the food-related habits that can lead to weight gain include:
Night eating – snacking throughout the evening.
Social eating – eating when in a group of friends or family.
Emotional eating – eating in response to your emotions, whether that be boredom, tiredness, anxiety, stress, elation or sadness.
Distracted eating – eating when doing something else (such as watching TV, working at your desk, or being on social media).
Find your inner motivation
You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself.
Make a list of what’s important to you to help stay motivated and focused, whether it is an upcoming vacation or better overall health. Then find a way to make sure that you can call on your motivational factors during moments of temptation. You might want to post an encouraging note to yourself on the pantry door or refrigerator, for instance.
Set realistic goals
It may seem obvious to set realistic weight-loss goals. But do you really know what’s realistic? Over the long term, it is smart to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week.
Enjoy healthier foods
Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or
Eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits daily.
Replace refined grains with whole grains.
Use modest amounts of healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, nut butters and nut oils.
Cut back on sugar as much as possible, except the natural sugar in fruit.
Choose low-fat dairy products and lean meat and poultry in limited amounts.
Get active, stay active
While you can lose weight without exercise, regular physical activity plus calorie restriction can help give you the weight-loss edge. Exercise can help burn off the excess calories you can’t cut through diet alone.
Change your perspective
It’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even months if you want long-term, successful weight management. These habits must become a way of life. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating patterns and daily routine.
Caption: Checking weight. Photo/Courtesy
By Wangeci Thuo
