10 ways to lose weight and keep it off for good

First of all remember that you are AWESOME regardless of how much you weight.

But if you have set yourself a goal of losing some weight it would make you feel SUPER AWESOME knowing that you have achieved your weight goal.

AND

Don’t lose weight to please anybody. If in the process of pleasing yourself you please someone else, that’s great! You have killed two birds with one stone.

From my personal experience I have to say losing weight and keeping it off has a lot to do with how you think and perceive yourself rather than how much work you do. Here is a list of things that works wonders for me;

1.   Set a personal ideal weight. How much do you want to weight?  This would depend on how you want to look and feel and your BMI. There are tons of BMI calculators on the internet and it takes only a few seconds to calculate.  Remember, a bit of excess weight can look good on you; you don’t need to be super slim to look beautiful. Only YOU can decide your ideal weight, depending on what makes you comfortable and the amount of weight that makes you feel healthy. Don’t let other’s perception of beauty affect your judgment.  

2.   Take food at face value. I know this sounds a bit funny, but if you are trying to lose weight you have to keep your distance with food. Some people are too emotionally dependent on food to say no to it. They eat for comfort, to fill in time, to conquer boredom and due to a host of other reasons. This can be very bad for your health, both mentally and physically. Try eating only when you’re hungry and NOT for any other reason.

Before eating anything ask yourself whether you are really hungry, how the food you are eating is contributing to your daily nutrition needs and how much you really need. Over eating at mealtime is the worst thing you can do.

3.   Take small frequent meals instead of 3 large ones. This is something that I have read about a year ago and it actually seems to work. For example if you are eating a fried rice for lunch, split it up into two; eat one half during lunch, and the other half around 5:00. That way during dinner time, you are not that hungry and you end up eating less.

4.      Plating up: Get creative and plate up your food before eating.  Don’t sit at the table with bowls full of food which will end up pursuing you to refill your plate. Put in your plate the absolute amount you want to consume, not less, not more. Some other tip related to this is using a small plate for eating, but personally I prefer larger plates, and the notion of tricking my brain into thinking that there are more food in my plate never seems to work for me.

5.      Eat with style. Every one of us gets ourselves in situations in which we want to gobble up the food as fast as we can. I know there are times when I eat like a baby dinosaurs :) We are either very hungry or just are in dire need to fill up our stomach. Try to relax before mealtime, look at your plate and take in the textures, the smell and the look of the food. Try to stick to good manners, like using a fork and knife while eating, and not talking with your mouth full, this will also give you something to think while eating. Make eating an art rather than just an act to fill up your tummy.

6.      Drink a glass of water before eating. I know this would be a piece of information that everyone of us would have come across one time or another. Drinking a glass of water before a meal fills up our tummy, reducing the need to overeat.

7.      Understand your body. If you would only listen to your body, it will tell you how much you need to eat. Talk to your body, try to understand the signs, and learn its limits. Once you reach your ideal weight, the challenge is to keep it from going up. We would always know when we gain an extra kg or lose a kg, if we remain alert. Shedding an extra kg is not a big task; all you need to do is say no to that extra piece of chocolate cake.

8.      Do some sort of exercise: Exercising not only is good for your body, it can also work wonders on your outlook on life. It gives us that extra boost of energy and a sense of accomplishment. You don’t have to do heavy exercise to tone up your body; just a half hour walk each day would do the trick.

9.      Reward yourself and love your body: This is the point in which losing weight becomes fun! Indulge yourself and your new body with stylish chic clothes. Don’t forget to throw in a new haircut and some new shoes. That would make u feel good and make u want to woe never to let yourself loose again; in the food department. Also remember to reward yourself with a yummy treat every now and then; a piece of French cream cheese cake does the trick for me.

10.  Get rid of all the ‘large’ cloths in your wardrobe: We tend to keep the large cloths in our wardrobe thinking that one day they might come in handy. Don’t plan to gain weight! Give them to charity or take them to the tailor to be adjusted, so they fit your awesome new figure perfectly.

P.S. I am not a dietician, nutritionist or a psychologist, I am just writing from my own experience. Hope you found the read enjoyable. If you have anything to say, just drop a line in the comment box.  Until next time, take care.