A Weight Loss Plan For Success

The formula for losing weight is simple: eat less and exercise more. But, it’s not really all that simple, is it?

Long-term weight loss isn’t impossible, but you do have to be committed. Having a weight loss plan for your success is a good start. Here are ten items that should go into your weight loss plan.

When starting a weight loss plan, you need to determine how many calories you should be having a day. Online calculators abound that will let you input your height, weight, age, activity level and the amount you want to lose and will provide you the total calories you should eat each day. If you know the calories you should consume each day, it’s much easier to stay within the guidelines.

1. Eat breakfast. This keeps you from getting too hungry later and then losing control over what you choose to eat later in the day.

Treating yourself can actually be an important part of any weight loss diet. Making hard and fast rules about food, such as telling yourself that you’ll never eat chocolate cake ever again, can actually make you obsess about food. This leads to stress and overeating, both of which can ruin your weight loss plan. Try to give yourself a small treat everyday, or a slightly larger one at the end of the week for making your goals.

2. Stock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy foods and snacks and limit high-fat, high-salt snacks such as potato chips and cookies.

Curb your late night snacking if you want to see good results in your diet and weight loss plan. Eating close to bed time puts calories in your system that will be burned off during your sleeping hours when metabolism slows to a crawl and your calories burned per hour are at their lowest levels.

3. Fill up on Fiber. Eat foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The fibers in these foods will fill you up leaving less room for unhealthy choices.

To ensure that you remain committed to your weight loss plan, get everyone in your family excited about eating healthy foods. Make the same snacks and meals for each person living in your household; that way, you won’t be tempted to eat one of the unhealthy foods that they are indulging in.

4. Don’t fall into bad habits on weekends. Many people will follow a strict diet on weekends only to fall back into eating more (unhealthy) on the weekends as a reward for “being good” all week. Unfortunately, this can cause you to regain tahe weight you may have lost during the week.

A treadmill is a great way to exercise and lose weight in the comfort of your own home. Many people are self-conscious when they embark on a weight loss plan and may not want to use a gym or go jogging. If you have a treadmill at home, you can exercise any time you want, at the intensity that is most suitable for you. Treadmills come in a variety of price, and if you purchase a low-end machine, it will save you the cost of attending a gym, in the long run.

5. Watch portion sizes. Your perception of what a serving size should be and a “true” serving size can differ dramatically. Measuare your portions accurately, especially when you first start your healthy eating regime.

Make sure you are sticking to your diet plan, don’t slack off. You might be tempted to cheat a little here and there but that doesn’t help you. If you do cheat don’t beat yourself up about it, just refocus and go back on your weight loss plan. Just remember that every little bit adds up, a little cheating here and there can result in your weight loss efforts being in vein.

6. Set lifestyle goals – not weight loss goals. Commitment to eating healthy foods does lead to healthy weight loss — gradually. Looking at your weight daily can cause discouragement and will make many people give up and go back to unhealthy food choices.

A surprising part of a weight-loss plan is sleep. If you are trying to lose pounds, be sure you are getting enough sleep (ideally, 8 hours a night). Studies have shown that people who chronically sleep less than they should have higher levels of hormones that increase hunger.

7. Take healthy snacks with you when you take road trips. Grab healthy granola bars, bananas, apples and other fruit to prevent the tempation of stopping for a cancy bar or milk shake.

Some people need an extra little kick to get them on a good weight loss plan. Right now, there is a show on television called The Biggest Loser. It is about overweight people who are trying to lose weight. If you are struggling, watch the show for inspiration and you may also learn some new tricks.

8. Don’t deny yourself the foods you love. If you absolutely love chocolate, go ahead and have a small pice – half of a candy bar insteaad of a whole one! And avoid eating your “splurges” every day. Save them for when you really need them!

Join an online weight-loss support group to help you lose weight. Following a diet or weight loss plan can be frustrating and difficult and an online support group is always available to encourage and support you as well as offer valuable advice based on the experience of many individuals.

9. Start moving. Exercise is the key to long term weight loss. You’ve heard the saying, “Move it or lose it.” Too true!

If your child is facing obesity, a healthy weight loss plan should include talking to them about healthy foods and portion control. You likely can’t be with your child twenty-four hours a day. Therefore, you can’t monitor everything they are putting into their bodies. If you educate them about healthy choices however, they are more likely to make them.

10. Keep a journal. Writing down what you eat, when and how much you exercise and your moods will keep you on track and motivated to continue the course.

A journal can be a very effective tool in your weight loss plan. Keeping a journal helps to make you accountable. It also lets you know what’s working (and what isn’t) during the journey toward your weight loss goal. Write every bit of food you consume in your journal, and every minute of exercise as well.

Weight loss is achieved by both diet and exercise. It is also achieved by persistence. If you “fall off the wagon” one day, pick yourself up and continue your healthy lifestyle the next. Don’t give up!

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