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| Sportyafros.com |
If you share the goal of getting some fat off your body this year, I've accumulated a handful of tips that can help you get it done. I've organized them into different tactics for shaping how you eat, what you do, what you can stop doing, and how you think.
How You Eat
The news tell me that the three most successful diets are (1) DASH Diet, (2) Mediterranean, and (3) Weight Watchers. These can pretty much be summed up as heart-healthy, a lot of fruits, veggies, nuts, and portion control. I'm not really that into paying for anything, so Weight Watchers is out, but I'll take their lead on being able to eat anything I want as long as it's portion-controlled. In addition to more produce and protein, here are a few things to try while eating:
- Drink a glass of water before every meal. You might actually be thirsty when you feel hungry. And if it turns out in fact you were hungry, the large volume of water will make you feel fuller and keep you from overeating
- Eat more liquid foods like nutritious smoothies and soups to get the same effect
- Or eat a handful of nuts or edamame to stave off hunger
- Swallow each bite before starting on the next. Eat slower and enjoy your food
- Eat breakfast. Start with protein (like eggs) and keep up your metabolism throughout the day by not skipping meals
- Try eating with your left hand
- Eat normal-sized portions
- Use smaller plates and you'll subconsciously serve less food
- Store extra food right after cooking to keep from being tempted by seconds
- Try halving a restaurant portion into a to-go box before even starting to eat
- Get your family and/or roommates involved. My dad always has a steady stream of kale chips emerging from our dehydrator and (barely) eats meat or dairy. Having a self-proclaimed "cheating vegan" around the house can be a good influence
- Set a daily calorie limit and stay under it (mine is 1200, but you should calculate your own here)
- Meticulously record everything you eat. Go digital by downloading an app like MyFitnessPal
- Don't cheat on your rules! Even at parties and on holidays. Try not to gorge yourself into a coma on Christmas cookies
Repeating activities everyday is the best way to make them stick long-term. Using an app is a great way to do this because your phone is always close by and the automatic features save a lot of time. Also if you want to connect with your friends over the app, they can help keep you on track and/or guilt you into attaining your health goals.
- Get on a scale everyday to stay mindful and track your progress
- Don't do work in the kitchen where a refrigerator is staring at you
- Control what you buy, and don't shop when you're hungry
- Leave the grocery store with more (if not mostly) fresh food instead of processed food
- Making a strict grocery list can lessen the urge to buy junk
- Exercise everyday, even if it's just 15 minutes
- If you're not exercising at all right now, join a sports team so you look forward to working out or set an attainable weekly goal that you gradually increase over time
- Set measurable, specific, and realistic goals like, "I will lose one pound a week," "I will not eat any desserts this month," or "I will run four miles today."
What You Can Stop Doing
We all have our bad habits, I'm sure you know yours. Whether it's overdoing the alcohol, smoking too much, binge eating donuts in the closet, just think about what those habits are adding to your life -- pretty sure it's just fat. Now I'm going to speak to what I've seen as the most rampant indiscretion among people I know:
- Stop drinking so much! Ever wonder why everyone starts miraculously gaining weight in their twenties? Legal entry to bars my friends. Also:
- Alcohol is a depressant, negatively affects your brain (memory formation, energy levels, rational thought), and kills your liver, let alone the increasingly brutal hangovers.
- Vomiting on the sidewalk is not and will never be sexy
- Start by setting the reasonable goal of drinking only once or twice a week
- Stop consuming nutritionless calories, like soda. Instead drink water, squeeze in some lemon if it's too boring
- If bubbles are what you need, drink mineral water like Pellegrino. I like the fruity kind from Trader Joe's
- Stop making excuses and stop putting it off. Just start one new thing today
How You Think
Probably the most difficult but the most important way to maintain your health is to maintain a goal-oriented and motivated mindset. This is definitely the hardest for me because when I'm looking at a delicious meal, my cholesterol level is not the first thing I'm thinking about.
- Think about the life-extending effects of good health when you start early
- What you do today can keep you from getting heart disease, diabetes, cancer, among many, many others
- You have to want to be better -- to look better, perform better, feel better. Just keep whatever you find to be your biggest motivator at the center of your focus
If you're overwhelmed by the amount of things to try here, just start with one: write down everything you eat. This will force you to be conscious about what's going into your body. Not all of these tips will work for you, but hopefully you can take away what you like and what you think you can do. If something isn't working, then change it up and try something new. Try an interesting new food craze or try a new sport and challenge yourself to see how long you can do it.
Remember, getting healthy isn't supposed to suck! Focus on small goals and reward yourself with something nice when you reach them. You can turn your health into a game, except at the end you don't just win, you get to be happier, look sexier, and live a longer life.
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| Leanerbythelake.com |
