With the new year come all those resolutions and promises from friends and family of losing Christmas weight after getting a little too merry or spending too much time with hands in the sweetie tin. You’ll be bombarded with ads to join the gym, buy meal supplements or hop on the latest diet fad. And while it is easy to get rid of a little weight in a short period, not knowing how to control weight loss and maintain a healthy weight in the process can be irritating and not help you achieve realistic goals.
If you’re trying your best to lose weight in a healthy way and would like some pointers to help make what feels like an arduous process easy, here are some things to consider and take on board; from knowing weight flips around to taking new approaches.
Know you can’t run all-day
The gym can be a daunting place for many people. Walk in there for the first time, and you might feel a little lost trying to map where everything you need is. Default instincts are always to hop on the treadmill and give it your all, but if you’re pushing the pedal to the metal on day one and barely making it home in one piece, you’re not doing it right.
Exercising is vital in helping to lose weight, and just like the slow process of weight coming off, you have to build up ability in the gym. So if you find yourself struggling to make it beyond 10 minutes on the treadmill, you have to know you’ll get there eventually. And when you do (just like losing weight), you’ll want to see about pushing yourself towards the next goal.
Remember you’re full of water
Speaking of the gym, next time you go in, and you know you’re going to push it, weigh yourself walking in and walking out. If you really get a sweat on, you could be up to a pound or two lighter, simply from losing some water weight.
No, water weight isn’t some magical myth that can be used as an excuse for weight gain. Your body loves being hydrated and will take as much water as it can to keep everything going. At least half of your body right now is water, and that can go up to 60% for some people. Drinking more water frequently will indeed put your daily weight up, but when you’re exercising and dieting correctly, water is necessary to feel good.
Think of weight loss as therapy
It’s all too easy to think of dieting as a solitary thing that is on its own island. If you’re dieting, then you can’t do x, y and z. Well, that used to be the case to a degree.
There’s a new term popping up online that makes everything a little more cohesive; weight loss therapy. This isn’t someone going to see a therapist and lie on a couch for a chat, but a comprehensive weight loss plan that uses a three-pronged attack to lose weight: eating more (more on that below), non-invasive body treatments and a long-term maintenance plan.
In the UK, the most notable example of this is Alevere therapy, a patented weight loss plan that cosmetic clinics offer. The reason clinics use Alevere is because it will often involve going through some ultrasound or LPG treatments that break down fat without the need to carry out liposuction. Ultrasound has the added benefit of acting a collagen booster too, so it limits the amount of sag skin has as someone loses weight.
Know your weight will go up and down
Anyone who wants to have a healthy lifestyle should know that sometimes means weight up and down. I’m not talking about the dreaded yo-yo effect that fad diets can create but knowing that your body will react differently on different days; in fact, your body can go up and down throughout the day.
Don’t believe me? Take one day and weigh yourself when you wake up, after lunch, post-workout and then before bed. Factors like exercise, how much you’ve eaten and water intake can see you easily fluctuate four to five pounds in a day. Understanding your body’s day to day fluctuation won’t make you feel bad if you tend to feel bloated in the evening or lethargic in the afternoon.
Eat More (but do it right)
Lastly, it sounds counterintuitive to eat more food when you’re trying to diet, but if you eat the right things, your body is going to love you for it.
Case in point comes from the Alevere therapy I mentioned back up the page. As part of its diet plan, a person is recommended to eat as much fruit and vegetables as they can every day. If you can flip the lid of venturing away from the treats drawer every time hunger comes knocking and seeing what’s in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, your body is going to want to process all the natural goodness of carrots and hummus more than nachos and salsa.
Swap shop all day long
Remember; simple swaps are always the easiest route to maintaining a healthy weight. Even when it is small changes like fizzy pop for water, or grapes for sweeties, improving your diet in small ways is going to help you maintain weight the way you want it.
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