Fad diets or excessive bursts of exercise are not the answer when you want to lose weight. Your body prefers slow changes in terms of food and exercise. If you respect your body you must learn how to lose weight the healthy way.
If you suddenly start starving yourself, you will confuse your body and it will stop working efficiently as you will likely be denying yourself the vital nutrients and vitamins that your body needs. The same applies to sudden high levels of exercise that the body just is not used to, you are much more likely to injure yourself or become disheartened and demotivated, so setting your fitness levels back even further.
A far better approach is to introduce changes gradually. To lose weight there are two things that you need to do - reduce the amount of calories you eat and increase your levels of activity.
Small changes to your diet can make a big difference in the long-run. Here are some very easy ways you can cut calories without noticing:
1. Swap whole milk or semi-skimmed.
2. Drink water instead of fizzy drinks and cordials.
3. Cut down or stop taking sugar in tea and coffee.
4. Have smaller portions.
5. Do not have second helpings.
6. Cut out unhealthy treats such as biscuits, crisps, sweets. Either do without or replace them with healthier alternatives
such as fruit, nuts or raw vegetables.
7. Cut down on alcohol.
8. Make your own sandwiches for lunch instead of buying them, so that you can control the amount of butter, full-fat mayonnaise or other unhealthy ingredients that you put in them.
You should view weight loss in terms of changing your eating habits on a permanent basis, not just for a short period. You will be more likely to keep weight off if you are able to see it as a lifestyle change and can sustain these changes over months and years.
If you also increase your activity levels at the same time as making changes to your diet, you are bound to soon start to notice the difference. You do not need to join a gym or suffer something that you don't enjoy, just try and do something most days of the week. Here are some simple activity ideas:
1. A 20 minute walk is beneficial if you do it regularly.
2. Swimming is great exercise and enjoyable for most people.
3. Go for a cycle ride or a run.
4. Dancing is a fun way to get active.
5. Walk to the shops instead of taking the car.
6. Always use the stairs instead of the lift.
7. Use an exercise bike while watching TV.
8. Get off the bus one stop before you usually do and walk the rest of the way.
There are many ways that you can easily incorporate extra activity into your life without too much effort. You can gradually increase the intensity as you begin to feel fitter.
It does not have to be difficult to lose weight the healthy way. By starting off small and making gradual changes to your lifestyle, you will, over a period of time, begin to notice the difference and become a fitter and healthier person.
Author Resource:-
For sensible advice on losing weight naturally and making healthy choices, please visit http://sensibleslimming.com. You can also download a free booklet entitled "Top Tips for Sensible Slimming"
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlespirit.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites