Although you should not be ashamed of yourself if you are having weight problems, you should definitely strive to solve those problems before they lead to more serious problems. And there is no better time to start solving those weight problems than in the beginning of the new year.
Losing weight and obtaining the perfect body is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions that people make so you will definitely not be alone in your endeavor. On top of that, many sites (like this one) dedicate a lot of time and effort into writing articles specifically for those looking to lose weight for the new year.
Before you start reading, I should warn you that losing weight is not an easy process. It will take a lot of time and effort to get it done. In fact, one of the most common reasons that people do not fulfill their New Year’s resolutions is because they give up. They are not able to keep themselves motivated and end up slipping back into their old habits that led to their weight problems in the first place. You need to be serious about wanting to lose weight and doing whatever it takes to get it done.
Best Weight Loss Tips In 2017
When compiling this list, I tried to make it so that it would not overwhelm you. Many articles spit out a ton of information about all of these stressful things that you have to do to lose weight. And the stress caused by articles like that probably contribute to the amount of people that give up on their weight loss goals. I hope my article does not overwhelm you so that you can actually lose weight and get that body of your dreams before the year of 2017 is over. Let’s get started!
#1: Start drinking some good ol’ H2O
Water is the key to all life on this planet. Without water, life would not exist. Why is it then that so many people do not drink enough water or any at all? I would imagine it would be because there so many more flavorful beverages to pick from out there. But guess what? A lot of those beverages are not good for you at all. Especially popular beverages like soft drinks and beer. These beverages do not do anything but make you gain weight and cause other serious health problems down the road.
It is time to drop beverages like those and start drinking water. One of the most useful features about water as it pertains to weight loss is that it can make you feel satiated even though it has no calorie content. And there is plenty of science that backs up the notion that regular water consumption contributes to weight loss. And I can attest to it as well. I used to be a soft drink addict until I dropped it completely in favor of drinking water. I have not looked back and my body looks much better now.
#2: Take the stairs
No more going on the elevator when you are going to work or wherever else you have to go where there is an elevator. Walking up the stairs is actually a quite effective form of exercise that can help you lose weight when you are not even trying to. Taking the elevator might save you a minute or two, but it does nothing for your body. Obviously if you have to go up like 30 stories, take the elevator until you are five to ten floors from where you have to be.
#3: Fasting does more harm than good
I have seen other articles that suggest that one should try fasting – which means you do not eat anything for almost an entire day before you eat again. And while this will cause your body to burn the fat you have stored to use as energy, your metabolism will slow down as a result. This is because your body kicks into panic mode and thinks that it will have to conserve the remaining fat so that it can keep functioning. On top of that, fasting will cause your blood sugar levels to sink. Instead of opting not to eat, eat smaller portions of healthy foods.
#4: Fix your sleep schedule
If you are not already getting eight hours of a sleep each night, it is time to start. Sleeping is one of your body’s most important functions. Sleep allows your body to recover itself after a long hard day so that you will have the energy to go through another long hard day when you wake up. As it pertains to weight loss, a healthy sleep schedule will help your metabolism stay fast and being asleep longer will keep you from indulging any junk food cravings that may arise if you would have been awake. Did you know that being sleep deprived can cause you to develop unhealthy food cravings? Do not let that become an issue for you. Ensure that you get eight hours each night.
#5: Save your smallest portion for dinner
Most people eat dinner when their day is pretty much over and they are ready to relax until they go to sleep. And it is for this reason that I strongly suggest that you save your smallest meal for dinnertime. I suggest this because you won’t be exerting much energy after you finish dinner which means your body will not be burning all of those calories that you just consumed.
Most of them will end up being stored as fat and cause you to gain weight if it was a big meal. Additionally, your metabolism can be slowed down and your sleep schedule can even be screwed up if you eat your largest meal for dinner. Save your big meals for breakfast and lunch – you will be able to burn them off with all of the energy you exert to get through your day.
#6: Just dance!
I am not much of a fan of dancing and I can’t really dance to save my life. However, that is not to say that dancing isn’t an easy and fun form of exercise that almost anyone can try to do. Even if you are making a total fool out of yourself, at least you are losing weight in the process. If you really do not want to embarrass yourself in front of other people, you can just start dancing at home.
Maybe if you are doing something mundane like vacuuming, you can turn it into your own private dance party so that you are having fun and losing weight in the process. Having fun is a great way to keep your motivated and encouraged to stick to your weight loss plan.
#7: Enjoy working out
This goes hand in hand with #6. Let’s face it – you will not be able to lose weight if you do not get regular exercise. The problem is that many people overwhelm themselves when it comes to working out and they end up working themselves too hard and it causes them to give up. I do not want that to happen to you. Come up with an exercise routine that will effectively let you burn weight, build muscle, and have fun. There are plenty of mobile apps available that can make exercises like jogging more enjoyable.
#8: Stay occupied
This one is a bit of a no-brainer. If you are always busy, you will be less likely to think about food and end up snacking on something. Your body knows when it is hungry and thirsty and will let you know when it is time to eat. Often when people are doing nothing, they will end up wanting to eat something to help them pass the time.
I have experienced this myself so I decided to pick up some more hobbies and those random snack cravings went away. Perhaps you could arrange your schedule so that your free time would be right after your biggest meal or something. That would be a good way to let yourself still have that free time but make it less likely that you would snack on something during that time.
#9: Find a friend
The process of losing weight is much more fun when you are doing it with someone else. It also makes it easier to stay motivated because if you are ever feeling discouraged, your friend can get you back into the zone and you can do that for them too. Losing weight by yourself can be alone and discouraging. When exercising, you could challenge each other and the competition that is created will further motivate you and your friend to work out harder and eat healthier. Also, you can help keep each other on track so that neither of you are falling behind in your quest to lose weight.
#10: Keep a record
Nothing is more accomplishing than going back and seeing how far you have progressed in your weight loss journey. Make sure you keep a record or a diary of what you have done to lose weight and any changes that you have made to step things up. Believe me, when it is all set and done you will be proud of the progress you made when you compare where you started with where you end up when you have met your goal.
Conclusion
I hope that these steps were easy enough to get your mind running about how you can possibly incorporate them into your life. Once you have gone through all of these steps, you will already be well on your way towards achieving your weight loss goals!
