When you want to shed pounds, resist the temptation to try the latest weight loss supplement or diet. Yet, in the end you discover that it is time-tested truths like the ones in this article that are the real path to weight loss success. Below are some great ideas to help.
A great way to motivate yourself to lose weight and get more exercise is to join a team sport. For example, a game of pickup basketball can burn over a hundred calories in just half an hour. If you have friends counting on you to show up at an appointed time each weekend, you’ll be more likely to go.
To lose weight, try to do more cardiovascular exercise. Basically, if you can get your heart rate up during exercise and do that exercise a little bit every day, you will see a change in your weight. You can go do more intense working out like running in the mornings or even just walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
A helpful tip to lose weight is to learn how to cook your own meals. If you don’t know how to cook, you’re more likely to resort to eating fast food and you’re not likely to get proper nutrition. Learning to cook basic meals for yourself is very important.
One way to keep your weight down, if you enjoy baked goods, is to look wherever possible for ways to lower fat and raise fiber levels in home-baked products. Applesauce makes a very respectable substitute for oil in many cakes and brownies. You can also substitute whole wheat flour for white flour, up to 100% depending on the recipe (the substitution will be invisible in chocolate brownies, by the way). You’ll substantially lower calories without affecting the taste of your favorite baked goodies.
Almost everyone enjoys the taste of french fries. Unfortunately, eating fries can totally ruin your diet. There is, however, a healthy french fry alternative that you can bake yourself. Slice some potatoes into fries about 1/2″ wide, then put them in a bowl with a tablespoon of oil. Add salt and pepper (and optionally, rosemary), then put them in the oven and bake them at 400 degrees. Gently loosen and turn the fries with a spatula, then bake for a final 10 minutes. They’re really delicious with ketchup, a lot lower in calories and you’ll never miss the deep frying. This Laurel’s Kitchen recipe for French Bakes will change the way you eat fries forever.
Eating fruit at least two times per day will help you lose weight. Fruit is primarily made up of water, which means that you will feel full and be less likely to indulge in an unhealthy food choice. Fruit is also jam-packed with the good kind of carbohydrates that your body needs to stay energized.
A great way to help you lose weight is to switch the pasta you’re eating to whole wheat pasta. Pasta can sabotage your diet because it’s tasty and very easy to eat too much. Whole wheat pasta offers much more nutrition and is a great source of carbohydrates.
For good nutrition, you should be cautious about taking part in the newest popular diet. Extreme diets that limit your nutritional intake may endanger your health. These fad diets that promise huge results almost overnight are common in the weight loss industry, however they always fade away as quickly as they show up. Even though these diets produce weight loss, it is usually just short term, and they do nothing to promote long-term health.
Try to stay positive about losing weight. This can be the most important factor in whether you lose weight or not. Believe that what you are doing is working, and start seeing yourself as slender and in shape. If you hold that vision in your mind, it’s only a matter of time before you see it.
Chew gum to suppress your appetite. The next time you want a snack, just grab a piece of gum. While gum is not filling, the taste and movement of your jaw can trick your body into feeling like it is eating. Make sure the gum you are chewing is sugarless.
A good tip for losing weight is to keep your dish sizes small. When you use large dishes, you naturally serve large portions and cause yourself to overeat. Your dinner must fit on a nine-inch plate. Any plate larger than this size is too large.
Do you love pizza? There will be occasions when you want to enjoy a slice of pizza, but you can make it a little bit healthier. Grab some napkins and blot the oil that is all over the pizza. This will help save yourself from extra calories and fat.
This tip is probably something a doctor would hate to hear, but you may want to keep smoking if you already to to lose weight. Don’t quit them both at the same time. Smoking is difficult addiction to break, and people sometimes supplant nicotine with food. This contributes to one’s weight increases and is bad for a diet.
Try to curb stress in your life. If you feel your diet or weight loss plan is causing you anxiety, take a small break to get your head back in the game. Do not eat high fat food during this time, as you may gain weight. Focus on yourself and relaxing for that short period of time.
Make sure that you do not consume too much salt in your diet. Sodium is essential to your body, but only in small amounts. When you eat foods that are high in sodium, the excess accumulates in your body and causes you to retain water. It also adds volume to your blood, leading to high blood pressure. So make sure that you limit your salt intake.
The information presented above will help you lose the necessary weight. Before jumping on the latest bandwagon, follow this advice. Don’t waste your money on useless products when you’ve just been given the information you need to lose weight successfully.
