Effective Weight Loss 101
So what does effective weight loss boil down to? Glad you asked! We had one of our favorite writers stop by to talk about some of her favorite effective healthy weight loss tips that are sure to get results!
Expert Effective Weight Loss Tips
Here are a baker’s dozen of my favorite healthy weight loss tips that are all a part of my Today’s the Day Seven Week Fitness Plan at ThreeDimensionalCitality.com
1. Drink adequate water.
Dehydration is a critical factor.
You can’t effectively digest your food without enough water in your system. And drinking 16 oz. of water before each meal can boost your metabolism by up to 30%! One-half your body weight in ounces daily and ¼ tsp. of natural, unprocessed sea salt for every 32 oz. is my basic formula for overall health and weight loss.
2. Eliminate empty liquid calories.
3. Eat real food!
No packaged, fake, processed, chemical-laden “diet” foods. When you base your meals on real, whole, fresh foods, you nourish yourself at the cellular level, not just fill your belly. You also get the vitamins and minerals your body needs and craves in a form it recognizes.
This will go a long way in eliminating cravings. Your body requires adequate minerals to function, and when it lacks them, it generates cravings to motivate you to find them.
4. Include a clean source of protein at each meal.
Protein is a metabolism-boosting food and also very satisfying so your meal will better satisfy your hunger, give your muscles the fuel they need, and boost your metabolism.
5. Make fresh and frozen veggies your go-to carbs.
Include them in all your meals! You can have a veggie omelet for breakfast or put kale and spinach in a smoothie, a big fresh salad with lunch, and roasted veggies with dinner!
6. Make friends with fiber and fat!
Include good sources of fiber like beans and legumes, healthy fat like coconut, flax, avocado, and olive oil as well as raw, organic nuts, seeds, including chia, hemp, and flax as well as avocados and olives. Fiber makes your body work harder to digest your meals, sweeps toxins from your body, keeps you regular, and lowers the glycemic index of your meal keeping blood sugar steady.
Healthy fat is a clean-burning fuel, keeps you satisfied with less food, and helps your body absorb critical fat-soluble nutrients.
7. Supplement wisely.
Unfortunately, we just cannot get all the nutrients we need from diet alone for a variety of reasons so choosing high quality supplements, particularly minerals, is essential.
8. Be active daily.
You can’t get around this – you need to move your body daily, at least 30 minutes a day to start, and work up to 60 minutes most days. Include both cardio (like walking, biking, rebounding) and weight training. Including movement and activity in your day is a must for overall health as well as weight loss.
The more muscle you have the more calories you burn even at rest.
9. Make sure your weight loss goal is realistic.
When it comes to losing weight, don’t set yourself up for failure and frustration by setting an unreasonable goal. And when you set your goal, be very clear on the “why” behind it. Why do you want to lose weight? Make that why compelling and remind yourself of it every single day.
10. Break your major goal into smaller goals.
Then celebrate it! For instance, if your goal is to lose 15 lbs. in 8 weeks, a very doable, realistic goal, break it down into one or two-week increments. As you make progress – exercising 5 or more days a week, losing 1-2 lbs. a week, find a non-food way to celebrate your achievement.
Buy a DVD, CD, or book you want, treat yourself to a movie – it will help make your progress more concrete and help you appreciate it.
11. Institute Recommitment Mondays.
If you slip off your plan don’t beat yourself up. One meal or one day is not going to totally derail you unless you just keep going. Get right back on your plan and use it every Monday to recommit yourself to your goals.
12. Keep a food and fitness log.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Research shows women who do this lose an average of 6 lbs. more than those who don’t. Here’s where you can write and track your goals – God tells us to write the vision!
There are also apps like http://www.myfitnesspal.com It works with any plan you happen to use.
13. Be picky about grains.
If you choose to include a grain or starchy carb, choose a healthy one like quinoa, steel-cut oats, buckwheat, sweet potato, beets, millet, brown or black rice and include them early in the day so you increase your chances of using them for energy rather than storing them as fat.
Just about everyone will benefit from eliminating gluten. It will impact and benefit joint health, brain, and digestion.
Wrap-Up
Those are just a few of the tips I share in Today’s the Day. I hope they help you.
What are your favorite effective weight loss strategies?
- How To Lose Weight In A Healthy Manner - June 24, 2016
- 13 Simple And Easy Weight Loss Tips - May 12, 2016
- 7 Tips on How to Jumpstart Weight Loss - June 2, 2015