One of the biggest mistakes that people trying to lose weight make, is they put all their eggs in one basket. Some people believe that they can exercise like to burn off the fat while eating any foods they like, others think they can diet themselves skinny without having to exercise, while the most naïve of all three have fantasies that they can pop pills or inject hormones or vitamins and not worry about exercise OR diet. Are you guilty of any of the above? Even the smartest person falls prey to this because of diet books, supplenent and gadget infomercials that constantly bombard people with propaganda claiming to have THE answer to their weight loss troubles. But deep down you know the quick fix approach just doesn't work and is no match for a more balanced weight loss plan.
Eating A Healthy Diet
Despite what all the diet programs and books on the market say eating healthy is not complicated. You don’t have to count calories, fat, or carbs, you don’t have to go on a high protein diet, or worry about points and exchanges, or all that other craziness. You know the difference between french fries and a baked sweet potato. You know the difference between a strawberry kiwi snapple and an actual strawberry kiwi salad. It's not that complicated but if you need help just follow the 3 1/2 Golden Rules at every meal.
The 3 1/2 Golden Rules of Nutrition
1. Never eat anything deep fried or that you can get from a drive thru window.
2. Never eat anything with ingredients you can't pronounce or an ingredients list so long it takes up most of the package.
3. Never go on a diet that focuses on what you can't eat vs. what you should eat for optimal health.
1/2. If you're going to eat these foods keep it to a minimum only 10% of the time.
This eliminates the worst diets as well as the worst foods including fast food, sugary treats, highly processed foods, and some restaurant food. When you’re starting a weightloss program this alone will get you awesome results. So what if you’ve already done this and you’re stuck on a plateau? Focus on 3 weightloss essentials: more fiber, more water, and more vegetables and fruit. Learn to love these foods and concentrate on eating as much of these foods as possible. It makes cutting down on fat, starchy carbs, sugar, and calories in general, effortless. It’s just common sense.
Get Busy With Exercise
Most people who are not fit and who need to lose weight rarely have time for exercise and most believe that it has to be difficult, lengthy, and boring. Not true. You don’t have to lift weights, run, do pilates, or anything else that you don’t like. What you need to do is find an activity you like that gets your heart rate up and do it for one hour 5 times a week. Swimming, biking, hiking, dancing, baseball, tennis, rollerblading, golf without the cart, are all activities that burn calories. Find something you like and just do it. If you’re not that crazy about doing anything for one hour 5 times a week then up your daily activity by taking the stairs more, walking during your lunch break, playing ball with your kids, doing your own yardwork, housework, and cooking your own meals. Of course this is less convenient but modern day conveniences are one of the main reasons 68% of America is obese or overweight. The more you move the more you lose.
Manage Daily Stress
Chronic stress contributes in a big way to weight gain in three ways. It causes you to eat for emotional reasons, it deprives you of sleep, and it increases your fat storage. If you are serious about losing weight you must get it under control. Meditate, do yoga, scream, cry, talk about it, take deep breaths, pray, listen to relaxing music, or commune with nature for 5 minutes a day. The more in control you are the less you eat, the less fat you store and the more sleep you get which means more weightloss for you. Exercise is also a great way to reduce stress so consider that option too. Remember that when you find the right balance between diet, exercise, and stress reduction your weight loss becomes simple and easy instead of complicated and frustrating. Lose more weight with a balanced weight loss plan. Try The Simple Diet
