Contours Express KD

14 Ways To Lose Weight & Keep It Off January 9, 2012

In order to break the cycle of yo-yo dieting you must first realize that:

Weight loss isn’t easy!
There is no such thing as “diet food”. There is only nutritious food and junk food.
Fast weight loss methods are nothing but fad diets that lead to “weight loss” through dehydration and muscle deterioration, and ultimately damage your metabolism and lead to more weight gain.
Weight loss and weight loss maintenance have nothing to do with the extent of your will power.
Therefore, the following weight loss advice is not designed to result in fast weight loss. Instead, this weight loss advice will help you lose weight in a healthy and sustainable manner by providing you with practical tips that you can incorporate into your overall health and fitness regiment.

Focus On Nutrient Dense Foods

Nutrient dense foods are foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber and low in calories and fat. Most fruits and vegetables are considered to be nutrient dense.

It is especially important that you keep the consumption of high fat foods to a minimum. Studies have shown that the average adult can lose up to 10lbs a year by just eliminating one tablespoon of fat a day.

Avoid Empty Calories

Unlike nutrient dense foods, foods that are termed “empty calories” provide the human body with little to no nutritional value. Unfortunately, the number of preservative laden, man-made “empty calorie foods” in our supermarkets today far outnumber nutrient dense foods.These foods are especially tempting to children and those of us who are prone to engage in such negative eating behaviors as emotional binge eating.

It’s important that you learn to recognize these foods and limit their consumption because the consumption of these foods, even in moderation, tends to lead to fast weight gain. Limit such empty calories as 5% fruit juices, anything sweetened with high fructose corn syrup and especially alcoholic drinks as each serving of alcohol contains at least 150 to 200 calories.

Avoid Too-Good-To-Be-True Fad Diets

The list of fad diets that exist today is too long to recite here. Most of these fad diets, such as The Cotton Ball Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet and Morning Banana Diet, are bizarre and highly restrictive. Others, such as The Tapeworm Diet and Sleeping Beauty Diet, still popular in countries like Mexico, are down-right dangerous. Remember, if you can’t eat that way for the rest of your life than you should not waste your time or endanger your health by following that particular fad diet.

Maintain A Food Diary

Weight loss is achieved simply by consuming less calories than you burn. However, according to a recent Online poll, conducted by the International Food Information Counsel (IFIC), only about 9% of Americans know how to accurately estimate the number of calories they need to eat in a day in order to either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Fortunately, today, there are a number of free and easy to us Online food journal websites that can help you keep track of your calorie consumption as well as mood, weight loss, weight gain, muscle gain, and nutrient consumption. .

Embrace (HIIT) High Intensity Interval Training

High Intensity Interval Training also known as Sprint Interval Training consists of a variety of bodyweight exercises that are performed in a series of short and intense bursts, followed by a short rest period. Doing 4 set of 20 pushups, with a 10 second rest period between each set, is an example of a (HIIT) workout.

Perform high intensity interval training exercises for a minimum of 30 minutes a day for at least three days a week. Log this in your food journal. (HIIT) exercises are designed to increase your heart rate, burn fat, stress your muscles and boost your metabolism. Best of all, studies have shown that those who perform (HIIT) exercises are less likely to experience a diet plateau.

Incorporate A Weight Training Routine Into Your Exercise Routine

At rest, muscle burns more calories than fat. Therefore, those who have a higher muscle mass have a faster metabolism. This is an important concept for those of you who wish to break your cycle of yo-yo dieting. By incorporating a weight training routine into your exercise regiment you can begin to lose fat and build muscle, which will, in turn burn more fat, and lead to weight loss, which is then naturally sustained by the body via this increased muscle mass.

Break Your Obsession With The Bathroom Scale

Weigh yourself just once a week and expect to see no more than a 2-3lb reduction in weight.

Do Not Reward Yourself With Food

As children we are often rewarded with food, especially junk food such as ice cream, pizza and candy. Often, as adults we find it hard to break this cycle of rewarding and comforting ourselves with high calorie junk food. This learned behavior is one of the main reasons why most dieters gain the weight back.

In order to break the cycle of yo-yo dieting you must learn to give yourself a non-food reward for every 5-10 pounds lost. Focus on your interests and reward yourself with something that will help you think of something other than food in the future. For example, if you like photography, and need to lose 20lbs, set X amount of money aside every time you lose 5 pounds so that by the time you reach your weight loss goal you have enough money set aside to buy the camera of your dreams and focus on photography instead of food whenever you feel stressed, anxious or bored.

Change Your Eating Style

Do not eat when you are in a rush or when you can not sit down to eat. Avoid mindless eating by never eating in front of the television or computer. Chew your food carefully and make meals last at least 20 minutes. Take a sip of water between bites and use a smaller plate than you usually do so that you can trick your eye into seeing the same amount of food it is used to seeing.

Brown-Bag It, Lose Weight & And Save $$$

Bring your lunch to work at least three times a week, lose weight and save money. Too often, we don’t make wise food choices when we are at work either because of time restraints or because of lack of quality choices. For example, I have worked in places where the only food options available to those who did not bring their lunches from home came out of vending machines.

Place Your Health Above The Worth of Leftovers

This is a crime against self and unfortunately it is a crime I often see mothers of young children commit. Mothers of young children will often elect to eat the little bit of food left over on their child’s plate instead of throwing it away in order to not waste food and/or money.

However, if you are the mother of a young child, who is tempted to do this, first consider the fact that those extra 50-100 calories, consumed at each meal and/or snack time, can amount to a weight gain of more than 50lbs a year. This will put a tremendous amount of strain on your physical and mental health as well as end up costing you far more in health care costs in the long-run than you’ve saved by “saving” this food.

Beware of Loving Sabotage

Make your friends and family aware of your intention to lose weight and keep it off. Request that they respect your efforts to lose weight and get fit by accommodating your new diet plan. Learn to say “no” gracefully during those times when friends and family attempt to tempt you with unwholesome foods.

Nurture Your Digestive System

Maintaining a healthy digestive system is imperative when attempting to maintain your weight loss. You can maintain the health of your digestive system by increasing your fiber intake, choosing whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta products, legumes, and raw fruits and vegetables over sugary, carbonated drinks such as sodas which are known to cause dehydration and constipation. Likewise, be sure to drink eight, 8-ounce, glasses of water a day.

Forgive Yourself

Remember: You didn’t gain weight overnight and you will not lose weight overnight. Diet “slip-ups” are normal. They should in no way be considered a failure on your part. No diet is ever “ruined” if the dieter slips and has a slice of birthday cake at a friend’s birthday party. In fact, it is better to “slip” once in a while than to deprive yourself so thoroughly that you snap, abandon your weight loss efforts entirely, and start binge eating. Just forgive yourself when you “slip” and make a conscious effort to make your next food choice a healthy one.