You had great goals for your New Year’s resolutions in December. You probably kicked off your weight loss plans with enthusiasm. The problem is losing weight and keeping it off takes more than a few weeks or few months of focus. Keeping up the momentum is the challenge. Here are ways to help get too down to your desired weight and stay there.
- Keep Moving
Losing weight is more than just cutting calories. Dramatically reducing the amount of food you consume might result in some weight loss but will also lower your metabolism. This will make it harder to lose weight or maintain your weight.
The healthy way to lose weight long term is to include exercise. You can continue to burn calories for hours after you finish exercising. Improving your muscle tone helps you burn calories more quickly and improve your health overall.
Going to a gym is usually the best way to kickstart your exercise program. Search for “gyms near me” or even “cheap gyms near me” to find your local options for working out. You might even want to hire a personal trainer to help you develop a workout routine.
- Feed Your Diet
The temptation when trying to lose weight it to focus on cutting out food rather than eating healthy food. Fad diets are also a bad choice. Pick healthy foods in reasonable amounts.
Don’t plan to not eat. Deprivation will make you miserable. Instead, find new recipes that interest you. Consider taking a cooking class for a fun cuisine you’ve been wanting to try or learn more about. You might even want to work with a nutritionist so that you understand more about healthy food choices.
- Find the Right Fit
Your best friend’s cousin’s niece might have lost plenty of weight with a particular eating plan or exercise routine. That may or may not be true but that doesn’t mean that’s the right program for you. It may take a bit of experimentation (and overcoming a few plateaus) in order to find the right combination of diet and exercise that works for you. There are a huge range of options available. Try a variety of classes and machines. Check out the local swimming pool and the classes available. Once you find what works for you, it’ll be easier to stick with it.
- Don’t Go It Alone
Research has shown that people who make life changes like this with a friend or family member are more likely to stick with it. Find partners to walk or go to the gym with you. Exchange healthy recipes with friends in order to keep each other interested and motivated. Just avoid making it a completion. Support each other in your efforts. You don’t want to be discouraged when you hit a plateau and your friend doesn’t. You’ll both have ups and downs as your weight loss progresses.
- Routine
Remember that it takes a little while to incorporate exercise and healthier eating into your life. The good news once you maintain your behaviour for a little while it will become a part of your routine. Keep this in mind if you are thinking of quitting or if you haven’t stuck with it consistently. You don’t have to be perfect, you just need to stay on track most of the time.