The battle of Losing Weight

Do you walk down the stairs and see your belly flopping everywhere? Are those comfortable fit pants too tight? Maybe it is time to start working on your weight. To lose pounds it is important to both exercise more and eat healthily. Here is a plan to help you win this battle.

First, having a good exercise regimen that you stick to regularly is fundamental to your success. If you did not exercise before, you will need to work up to fitness slowly. Starting with 20 minutes of exercise is a good amount of time since you need 20 minutes of continued exercise to start burning the fat stores in your body. Walking is a great starting activity as it is not hard on your joints and can be done while listening to music. Set a time to do your exercise every day and stay with it. At first you might be sore, but that will go away.

After a week or so, you can add five minutes each day for one week; then each week add five more minutes. If you are no longer breathing hard and it has become easy to walk for an hour or more, then you can try other exercise like trying to add jogging for 15 minutes and walking 10 after you jog. You can gradually increase that amount of time since your goal is to exercise a minimum of one hour continuously daily to help you lose weight and then maintain your loss.

I found it helpful to join an exercise club because if I pay the money, I have to be committed to going regularly. In addition, having an exercise buddy makes it easier to keep active. When others around you are also working out, it motivates you since there are people to talk to and even some who might be in your same situation. Joining a class is helpful for finding exercise partners, and I thought Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) would be really fun so I started doing that about nine months ago. I can do Kick boxing, grappling, MMA, weights, and cardio workouts. If you are male, this is a great idea. This is fighting so it would not be so great for many women. Women might enjoy dance classes. The important thing is to look for what is enjoyable for you so you want to continue. Try several things until you find one you like.

In addition, exercise helps you deal with stress which is sometimes a cause of weight gain. It also releases endorphins which cause your mood to be better. It may seem awful at first, but eventually it should make you feel better. It helps you wake up during the days, and it is easy to sleep at nights. Insomnia is also a cause of weight gain according to the research so if you are sleeping better, you should be able to lose weight and keep it off.

Another important component of weight loss is your diet. You will need to cut down your bad carbohydrates which are pasta, flower, sugars, and white rice. Soda and juice contain many calories so absolutely limit them or cut them out of your diet completely. Aim to lose weight slowly so that your loss is permanent. Never eat fast food or processed food because they contain lots of hidden fat and sugar! Start by making some easy green salads and eating fruit. You can buy some prepared salads and fruit that is cut up if you do not feel you have time to prepare all your own food. It allows you to save time but still eat less calories as you can easily reach for the good food when you get hungry. Snack on carrots or fat free popcorn if you need some munchies. Learn to cook if you do not know how yet, and look for healthy recipes online. Many of these recipes are quick, easy, and cheap to make. You do not have to eat expensive food to diet. There are lots of cheap but healthy foods like apples, bananas, and lettuce. If you eat less, you save money also.

Decrease your portions slowly so you don’t feel so hungry because if you feel hungry all the time, you will be tempted to give up and go eat something bad. If you eat two plates of food for dinner, start by reducing to one and a half plates; then cut out the other half after a month or so. Try to find fruit or vegetables that you actually like. If the food tastes bad, you won’t want to eat it. If you eat something you like, ask for recipes. Many healthy foods are easy to make. You can eat the same thing over and over if you like it, and it’s a good one for you. If you are feeling too hungry with these changes, take it more slowly. Add a bit of food back. It is better than giving up completely. A diet partner or program like Weight Watchers that offers you support when you want to give up could be quite helpful also.

Besides the changes in food, drink more water. Water carries waste away and makes you feel fuller. If you’re thirsty, you often mistake that as hunger and eat more so drinking eight glasses of water every day helps you. Juice is not good for you either as it contains way too much sugar! If you’re going to drink it, limit it to one glass in the morning. After that, switch to low calorie, low sodium drinks especially water. I recommend Propel as it is low calorie and good tasting.

Third, your family has to be supportive. If they sabotage you by buying bad things, you will have to be strong and throw it out until they get the idea that it is not okay to buy your favorite food and tempt you with it. It is even better if you can have your family losing weight and exercising with you so they understand how difficult it is for you to do. You can then help each other.

Fourth, never give up! Even if you have a day when you mess up and eat what you shouldn’t, you can’t beat yourself up about it. You just have to get back on your program. Everyone needs a day now and then where they mess up and just lie around. It is not something to feel bad about. A lot of weight gain is about emotions as well as poor habits. You may find that exercise lifts your mood as it releases endorphins that make you feel happier. Finding your diet buddy should help with this as well.

In conclusion, losing weight requires that you change your lifestyle habits. Exercise more, eat less and better, and find some support from family, friends, and your community gyms. Your positive mental attitude is important to your success. Never give up!