Many New Year’s Resolutions involve weight loss and you may be searching for weight loss tips if this is one of your goals. This article centers around an important question: Is mindless eating getting you in trouble with your weight?
If you don’t understand the different reasons why you may need to lose weight (why and what you eat), and then educate yourself and make some new habits, no diet may work for the long term.
The reality is that most diets don’t work. One indication is that people ‘go on’ diet after diet. If they work, why do we need another, and another?
What gets us into trouble in the first place? Eating too much (mindless eating)? It’s very easy to do. The holidays that are ending is one huge obstacle with all the great (calorie loaded) foods that are part of the endless celebrations.
What doesn’t work? Strict diets? Instead of a strict diet that you might stick with for a little while, and even shed a few pounds, what if you started changing your way of eating, or thinking about eating?
Like it or not, your mind plays a huge rule in the decisions you make. If you think about your food choices every time you eat, and you’re committed to make better choices (your mindset), you can make a weight loss program work.
Weight loss products such as protein shakes, protein meal and snack bars, and natural, healthy, energizing drinks can help a lot when you decide to cut calories, reshape your body and lose some weight. They can be aids to help you: good food choices to round out your daily diet.
An alternative to a strict diet can be to eat smarter and watch portions. This involves every day consciously choosing what you eat and why you’re eating the smaller, healthier portion (again – your mind needs to be on board with this). It means tracking what you eat and keeping it in line with the goals you set. You can still eat your favorite foods, however if they are not healthy choices eat small tastes of them (just enough to satisfy your wanting them) and limit how often.
Here are some weight loss tips that can help you eat less, think more about your food choices, and reach and maintain your healthy weight goal.
PORTION SIZE
We live in a world that almost encourages larger portions. Your body doesn’t need them and if you really want to lose that weight you have to get your mind involved to remind you of that. Eat only what you need for a healthy meal and limit snacking to tastes of food you like, not large plates or bags full of snacks.
*use smaller plates and don’t refill them
WATCH PACKAGING
Whether you are at the grocery store or your favorite restaurant you’re going to be tempted by what has been designed to taste delicious. If you eat that way every day, chances are you are eating the higher calorie, higher fat, higher sugar options.
*choose healthy meals
LIMIT JUNK AND PROCESSED FOODS
It’s so easy to rely on convenience foods that are ready-to-eat and often not healthy at all. We live in a busy, fast paced world but with a little meal planning you can make healthier choices. There are all kinds of resources online that help you cook healthier and do it time efficiently. In addition to weight loss and management benefits, it’s better for your overall health.
*limit processed snacks
HIDDEN CALORIES
Are you unknowingly drinking too many calories? There are hidden calories in many drinks such as sodas, juices, tea, lemonade, sports drinks, coffee drinks and more. You can actually drink your daily calorie limit and so when you add your calories from food each day, you can see why it can be a struggle to lose weight.
*drink more water
LOW FAT
When low fat foods were introduced the intention was most probably to help people manage weight. This didn’t exactly happen for many people because they simply ate more low fat foods. The intention is not to eat more. The benefit, if the low fat food has fewer calories, is to help you reduce calories if you keep the same portion size as the full fat alternative.
*low fat food still has calories
HEALTH FOOD CHALLENGE
Health Foods Are Not Necessarily Healthy
Food manufacturers and restaurants have joined the trend to eat healthier by offering healthy foods. The problem is there’s more marketing than regulation at this point. The word natural is thrown around and a product only needs to be about 10% natural to say natural. It’s your job to look at labels, read menus and determine the healthy options.
*choose fresh foods lower in fats and sugar over processed foods
GET MOVING
You don’t have to spend hours in the gym but you do need to get moving. You can choose to go to the gym or take advantage of exercise you can do at home. There are all kinds of programs online that can help you get active and many don’t require any kind of equipment. You can find low impact if you need it or even walk regularly, outside or go to a shopping mall if the weather prevents you from being outside.
*no excuses unless your doctor tells you so
MINDFUL EATING
We end by taking it back to your mind because your mind needs to be on board if you are going to create some new habits. Losing weight involves more than going on a diet. It takes commitment, and that’s where your mind gets involved.
So how do you start? In the space of this short article, we can offer some suggestions to work through.
Determine WHAT exactly do you want? To lose a little weight? To lose a lot of weight? To re-shape your body? To get in better physical shape?
Then decide WHY you want it. Do you have a strong why? Take some time and really think about this. Write it down and look at it often.
Last, you have to use that WHAT and that WHY and bring it into your MIND that will control it all. Use the suggestions in this article to help you eat healthier and you will be eating less calories, getting a whole new mindset that will help you make better decisions, and get you moving to burn more calories.
Planning and changing habits takes a little work but the payoff is great. Your body doesn’t require over size portions and extra calories. Those are mindless choices. It’s your job to train your mind that you don’t need them.
You don’t have to deprive yourself or go on a strict diet that’s very hard to maintain and can even cause a negative mindset. What can work better, and help you be happier about the weight loss process, is to make healthier choices and remind yourself that’s what will get you to your goal.
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