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Maintaining discipline during a diet is frustrating, and many of us (myself included) forgo the rules after just a short time. Discouraged by the work we have put in and the little results we have to show for it, we figure, why go on? Losing weight is more than simply reducing calorie consumption. It is about living a healthier lifestyle, and keeping a healthy eating habit that you can maintain.
Motivate yourself. Having goals will help you to keep on track. Cut out a picture that you don't like of yourself, where you think you look fat. Put it on the fridge to keep you from eating sweet and unhealthy foods. Next to the picture put a list of other reasons why you want to maintain a healthy living and healthy eating habit. Some examples may include,
- To feel good about myself.
- To avoid sickness and disease (cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney or liver failure, etc).
- To live longer.
- To have healthy children.
- To be able to play with my grandchildren.
- To run a marathon.
- To go hiking with friends and not fall behind.
Don't starve yourself. The most important aspect of a healthy eating habit is to not starve yourself. While it is true that you lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume in a day, if you refuse your body the calories it needs to function it goes into starvation mode, and burns less and less calories and works harder to store fat. Trouble looms then when you begin eating normal quantities of food, as you body will gain more weight then you started out with .
Eat 6 meals a day. Totally the opposite of starving! Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? The trick to losing weight is to eat 6 small meals a day, snacking every 2 to 3 hours. This keeps your stomach small so you get full sooner helping you to eat controlled portions. This also boosts your metabolism by keeping your body digesting all day long.
Be smart about food selection. Instead of reducing the amount of food you eat, you need to change the types of food you eat. Substitute fatty, bulky carbohydrates and sugary foods for fruits and leafy green vegetables. Eat whole wheat and whole grain pastas, rice, and bagels. Make sure to eat non-fat dairy to get the calcium your body needs. These foods have the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs in order to function properly, which in turn helps you to stay healthy and lose weight.
Drink lots of water. It is so important to drink 8 eight oz. glasses of water, unsweetened green tea or lemonade. A guaranteed fact is that you will lose more weight the more water you drink. Keeping your body properly hydrated has a heap of health benefits, helping your body to sleep better, fight infections and diseases including cancer, and help your skin and hair to be healthier.
Exercise! You don't need to kill yourself at the gym every day, as this leads to discouragement and stopping exercise altogether. The point is to make working out an enjoyable experience. Focus on the way it makes you feel after you leave the gym; exuberated, refreshed, full of energy and feeling healthy. You should do at least 3 days of intensive cardio a week, meaning you get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes. You should also focus on weight training, as this also burns calories and helps to boost your metabolism, as well as firm you up. Focus on different body areas each trip to the gym, rotating around the body. It is important to give your body days off to relax and rejuvenate, working out too much can actually damage your body.
Living a healthy life style and keeping up a healthy eating habit does take discipline, but doesn’t have to be like a punishment. You can eat healthy foods that you like and do exercises that you enjoy. The benefits of healthy living far out weigh the short lived joy of eating a piece of cake.
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