You want to lose weight but you’ve been through the whole miserable process before. Every step along the way is nothing but awful piled on top of awful. So what exactly are the people who are succeeding at weight loss doing differently?
Well, while they may be doing a lot of the same basic things — watching what they eat, spending more time on exercise, etc. — they’re going about them in a completely different way. They’ve figured out how to make little changes here and there so the whole process is easy and fun.
Keep reading and I’ll let you in on the simple little changes you should make to finally reach your weight loss goals, all while smiling every day.
Move 30 Minutes a Day: What makes losing weight a miserable idea for most people, no matter how badly they want the end results, is the thought of all the exercise. Just the image of toiling away on an elliptical for hours on end may be enough to give you a shudder.
The trick isn’t to learn how to force yourself to exercise, but to regularly get moving doing something you love to do anyways. Don’t worry if your activity burns less calories than something more taxing you hate; the important thing is to pick something you’ll actually do, and do regularly.
Make Working Out Social: …and the easiest way to guarantee that is by involving the people you love the most! Go for an evening walk with your SO or your best friend. Go outside and play with your kids. Eat a quick lunch so you can go play racquetball with the one coworker you don’t hate.
Just spend time doing whatever activity you’ve chosen with people you love, and sticking to it with a smile on your face the whole time will be a breeze. Even better, involving your loved ones will make you much more likely to reach your goals, and may even get them get on board too!
Keep Your Portions in Check: Oftentimes it’s not what you’re eating, but how much. But there are some easy ways that you can keep your portions in check without adding a lot of hassle to your life, which will then lead to the pounds falling off.
If you’re making dinner, use smaller plates. It’s scientifically proven to force you to eat less (see this video below), without realizing it or feeling less satisfied. You should also decide on what will be leftovers and store them away in the fridge before you begin eating.
Sleep, Sleep, and More Sleep: Here’s one that should put a smile on your face. Getting more sleep has been proven to increase weight loss time and time again. And it’s more than the fact that being well-rested will provide you with the energy and positivity you need.
I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that not getting enough sleep is linked with higher levels of stress. This is important because the stress hormone your body produces — cortisol — is also linked to increased appetite. That’s why stressful times often lead to food binges.
Ensure you’re getting adequate amounts of sleep (at a minimum 7-8 hours for most people) to prevent overeating, and to give yourself a positive, motivated mindset that will provide you with all the energy and willpower you’ll need to work out and make healthy decisions.
Start With One Foot Out the Door: Getting yourself in the right frame of mind for a morning workout is tough enough, but you know how to really make it awful? By essentially giving yourself chores to do while you’re barely awake, just so you can get to your workout.
Make heading out for a little morning exercise easier by prepping everything you’ll need the night before. Pack your clothes and shoes into your gym bag, or lay them out if you’ll be putting them on right away. Set an evening reminder in your phone to prep what you’ll need.
Eat With a Purpose: Nutrition researcher John Barban has long been known for his focus on the inherent differences between men and women when it comes to getting results from diet and exercise. He recently started emphasizing what he calls the “5 wonder veggies for women.”
Studies showed that when women added these common vegetables to their diet their metabolisms (and as a result, weight loss) increased significantly, regardless of the woman’s lifestyle or body shape. Learn the 5 veggies in this video (1:05 mark) that explains how it works.
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