If you ask a room full of people if they have ever wanted to lose weight, chances are you will see more than a handful of arms waving. But did you know that the hardest in a weight loss journey is getting started? There is tons of information available online from what to eat to when to exercise. When you combine this information overload with a busy lifestyle, you will find that most people give up before they get past the first day.

So, if you have made the decision and are serious about losing weight, consult your doctor and come up with a plan that will help start your weight loss journey.

1. Don’t Put Too Much Pressure on Yourself

Are there any not-so-great habits you have? Is it going for afternoon chocolate as a pick me up? Or is it adding sugar to your tea? No matter what it is, switching to a healthier alternative is easier than you think. A small piece of dark chocolate is fine as an afternoon treat. Also, instead of adding sugar to your tea, try a sweetener like stevia, which has zero calories but still tastes great.

Also, changing your routine and starting a big goal is often stressful. Thus, rather than setting a hard goal and putting yourself under a lot of pressure, make one or two changes at a time. Try going for a walk every evening after dinner with a friend or family member or walk your kids to school instead of driving them. It is less stressful when you take small steps during your day to reach a long term goal.

 

 

2. Consider Other Factors than Food

Apart from food, other factors affect weight loss, like lack of sleep and stress. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults require seven to nine hours of sleep to function at their full potential.

Sleep and stress go hand-in-hand. Stressful situations lead to sleepless nights, being irritable, and making daily tasks hard to get through. Lack of sleep also influences the hormones that regulate your appetite, increasing your cravings and hunger, which often results in weight gain.

That is why keeping a good sleep schedule and reducing stress will help you immensely on your weight loss journey.

 

 

3. Start Small with Exercise

Jumping from being a couch potato to lifting weights in the gym for one hour is a significant change that only a super being could do. However, you can start by adding 15 minutes of exercise to your daily routine. Increasing your physical activity will not only help you lose weight but also decrease your risk of health problems associated with excess weight. Plus, starting small with your exercising will reduce your risk of getting injured or becoming burned out.

If you are a beginner, start with small exercises like a daily 10-minute walk or something that involves low impact exercises.

While physical activity positively impacts your metabolism, you also need to remember that you won’t lose weight if you take your workout as an excuse to eat more.

 

 

4. Try a more Structured Diet

There is an overwhelming amount of weight loss diets out there from paleo to the Dukan diet. While the paleo diet asks you to eat like how your hunter-gatherer ancestors used to eat, the Dukan diet is separated into four phases and includes the consumption of high-protein, low-carb food. And yes, each of these diets comes with its own set of pros and cons.

For instance, the Dukan diet is excellent for weight loss, but there are no other recorded benefits. Whereas, the paleo diet reduces your susceptibility to heart diseases but eliminates the healthy and nutritious legumes, whole grains, and dairy from your diet.

Then there is the Noom diet, a personalized weight loss plan that helps people reach their personal weight loss goals. The Noom diet may be effective because it lets you decide what foods to eat while setting limits on calories rather than asking you to follow a traditional diet format. It is important to do your research on the various approaches and perhaps read reviews of them to get a better idea of what they entail. You can search for Noom diet reviews for example.

So, if you have had no luck with the one-format-fits-all diets, it could be time you approach the Noom diet for weight loss. Read the Noom diet reviews by top10.com and consider incorporating it into your lifestyle.

 

 

5. Get a Baseline

Yes, getting on the scale and taking your measurements might be scary. But without it, you won’t be able to set goals, measure progress, and identify where you need more help to achieve your weight loss goals.

Start by getting a baseline of your weight, measurements, body fat percentage, and take a picture of yourself. While you can get a baseline at home, you might want to consider talking to your physician. A doctor will have the tools to help you get your baseline measurements.

As you move forward in your weight loss journey, take monthly progress pictures. It is incredible to see the progress through pictures rather than numbers. .

Start Now

It is crucial to start your weight loss journey before other priorities start competing for your attention. While it might be tempting to put off a weight loss plan until the timing seems just right, there is no better time than now to take control of your health.

 

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