A lot of times people complicate things and make losing weight such a complex process, which it really isn’t. I can understand how it may seem daunting, the thought of what and when to eat, how to train, what specific exercises are best, how long to train for, and how to actually put all this together. But here I will give you a few very simple, and effective tips which you can do to start being more healthy, and start the weight loss process without actually changing your diet or workout programme too drastically.
Stop drinking calories.
Way too often people say to me they are eating right and exercising but they cannot lose weight. They then proceed to tell me about their diet and training which seems all fine, and then I hear.. “But on the weekend we may just go for some drinks to chill.” Or “I just have fruit juice and vitamin water every day, isn’t that healthy?” Did you know on average people drink up to 460 calories in a day! Imagine how much actual food you could eat instead to make up those calories? I don’t know about you but I would rather be eating something fulfilling. The majority of drinks and fruit juices contain a lot of sugar which can spike your insulin and blood sugar levels, and can lead to fast weight gain and unnecessary hormone imbalances, especially if you are drinking these drinks on their own. Carbonated drinks like coca cola are even worse because they are also full of sugar but they are highly acidic which creates a bad environment within your body by making your stomach too acidic and interfering with digestion.
Cut out sugar.
This basically follows on from point number 1. If you can’t cut it out completely at least cut down on the amount you normally have. For instance instead of 3 tea spoons of sugar in your tea, take one and a half. You will be surprised at how big a difference it can make.
Drink more water.
By drinking a lot more water, you will keep your body hydrated, keep flushing your system and cleaning it, and can even give you a feeling of being full thus keeping your hunger at bay and allowing you to eat less. A good way to do this is to drink a glass of water before each meal.
Choose activity over convenience.
Now the ideal would be to get to the gym. But even then, try to do some sort of physical activity whenever you can, whether it be walking your dog, walking to the shops instead of driving (and you will be saving the environmentJ), put on some music while you are cleaning and dance in between! Whatever you want, just to keep moving and burning calories.
Avoid processed foods.
I feel so strongly about this point as I’m sure you have read in my previous articles. I wont go into much detail here about, check out my previous two articles about REFINED CARBS and THE SECRET INGREDIENT
Stop eating out, or if you do choose wisely!
Fast food outlets should be kept to a bare minimum at all costs. Their foods usually are very processed, extremely high in Trans fat, contain little to no substantial nutritional value and have hardly any benefits for us besides convenience. Even when you order a salad, be sure to ask for the dressing on the side, and then you can put a little bit over it, instead of your healthy salad being drenched in a dressing full of sugar and fat pushing up your daily calories.
Include some sort of protein at every meal.
By doing this, you provide your body with a constant supply of amino acids which are the building blocks of your muscles and tissue within your body. Also protein will help to slow down digestion thus keeping you fuller for longer, and its less likely that protein will end up stored as fat. Now obviously too much of a good thing can become bad, so I’m not saying stuff yourself full of protein, no. Just a small portion of protein, for instance one or two chicken breasts or 100grams of cottage cheese should suffice as a good portion size.
Eat more vegetables and fruit.
I really don’t think I need to give much of an explanation here, I mean the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away didn’t come out of nowhere. But I would advise that you eat fruit before your meals, so let’s say before lunch/supper you can have an apple/pear/orange/grapefruit. And also try to include some form of vegetables at each meal. They help with so many things, such as: Provide your body with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre to keep you full.
Now, I’m not saying do all of these things all at once, that could lead to disaster and even more confusion! Try choose one thing and implement it in your life each week or each month, whatever will work for you and help you to stick with it. It will be hard at first, trust me I know, but soon you will turn those bad habits into good ones and you will wonder how you used to live before this! All it takes is your will to decide to DO IT!
