10 Tips to Beat the Bulge

It’s not just during the holidays that you may have a difficult time keeping weight off.  Losing weight and maintaining your weight can be a daily battle and a struggle every time you walk by a pastry shop.  But when you are armed with some helpful tips you can walk by the dessert counter without even being tempted to give into your craving.

Did you know that 90% of your annual weight gain occurs over the holidays?  It’s not hard to imagine with all the high calorie, high fat, and high sugar foods that are made over the holidays.  Is there anything you can do to avoid weight gain during the holidays and other times of the year?

Maintaining your weight needs to be a daily effort.  There are things that should and can be done from shopping to eating to exercising that can prevent you from gaining weight from some of the most common weight traps.  And if you are well prepared before you go to a party or go out to eat it can be so much easier to stick to your healthy diet.

There is really no such thing as a diet.  The fad diets are usually going to cause weight loss for a little bit of time and then all that weight will come back.  Try following these 10 tips for simple lifestyle changes that you can sustain for years to come.

1. Write Down Your Goals

A weight loss goal that is not written down is merely a wish.  And how many wishes have you made over the years that have not come true?  Write down your (reasonable) goal weight and create a plan to get to that point.  Be sure to include exercise in your plan as well as a healthy diet.

Once your goal is written down get a good support group together so you have encouragement as you make these crucial changes to your lifestyle.  Then record your progress weekly so you can see how much you are improving.

2. 30 Minutes of Cardio

Unfortunately, you cannot lose weight in specific areas.  For example, you cannot say that you want to lose weight in your belly or thighs and then spot train.  Cardiovascular exercise is the best way for you to lose weight and keep that weight off.  If you can’t exercise for 30 minutes at a time, break it up into 3 sessions of just 10 minutes each and build up to exercising straight through.

One of the most effective cardio exercises is interval training.  Basically you want to keep changing your workout.  For example, you can start at a medium intensity and every minute increase your intensity as high as you can go.  The next minute you can decrease your intensity and keep alternating throughout your workout.

3.Weight Training

Many women especially leave out weight training as part of their workout.  Did you know that every pound of muscle you add on will increase your metabolism so that you can burn an extra 50 calories?  Weight training will also boost your metabolism naturally for the 48 hours after you complete your workout.  And once you drop those pounds you will have a sleek and toned body to show off for it.

4.Drink Plenty of Water

This is one of the most important tips.  You need to stay hydrated especially if you are working out and sweating a lot throughout the day.  Drinking a couple glasses of water before a meal may help you to realize sooner that you are full.

It takes your body 20 minutes from the time you are full to recognize that feeling.  During that time you may have put away tons more food than you wanted to so you leave the table feeling stuffed and uncomfortable.  A couple glasses of water before the meal can help you to recognize that feeling sooner so you don’t feel overly stuffed.

5.Take a Daily Vitamin

When you participate in a reduced calorie diet it’s important to take a daily multivitamin to ensure that you are getting the proper nutrition your body needs.  Including plenty of B vitamins can help to increase your energy levels and when your body is well nourished it could prevent you from experiencing as many cravings throughout the day.

6.Shop on the Perimeter of the Grocery Store

Don’t keep foods in your house that are going to tempt you and make it difficult for you to lose weight.  And ensuring that your home is full of healthy food starts at the grocery store.

The perimeter of the grocery store is usually the fresh produce, fresh meat, and fresh dairy products.  Start shopping on the perimeter and avoid as many processed foods as you can.

If you must buy processed foods look for foods that have fewer than 5 ingredients and that have ingredients you can pronounce.  If you don’t know what something is it probably isn’t necessary for your health and it may hinder your results.

7.Include Protein, Complex Carbohydrates, and Fat

Each meal or snack should include all three of these.  They can ensure that you don’t have a spike in blood sugar but that you can sustain a full feeling for several hours.  Eating every two hours can help you to regulate blood sugar levels so you have fewer cravings and eat less at meals.

8.Eat a Snack Before You Go Out

Take something like trail mix or an apple to a party and eat it there or on the way.  The protein will help to keep you full and satisfied.  You won’t be as likely to eat tons of the unhealthy snack foods placed out by your host if you are satisfied before you go.  When you are at the party take just one of your favorite foods and don’t pile your plate with food so that you can truly enjoy your favorites.

9.Limit Yourself

There is nothing wrong with enjoying your favorite foods.  You simply have to learn to limit yourself.  If you completely deprive yourself of your favorite foods then you will be more likely to crave those foods and give into your cravings when you are not prepared to keep yourself under control.

10. Have Confidence

When you set a reasonable goal for yourself you can achieve it.  To lose weight you have to be emotionally invested in your goal and you have to know that you can do it.  If you set a reasonable goal and work hard to achieve it you can see the results you want but you have to know that it will take some time.

Keeping the weight off is going to be a lifetime process that takes some time to achieve.  But once you make some of these lifestyle changes and learn to love your body it will be easier to pass by the donuts.  You are completely capable of reaching your goal and keeping weight off!  Keep up the good work!