If you are on a weight loss program and you aren’t losing at least one or more pounds a week, you have stalled and it may be time to review and recommit to your goals.
It happens. You get busier or you are dealing with circumstances that have resulted in your weight loss program taking a back seat.
So there is only one thing to do. Reset your priorities. You may want that extra helping or that late night snack or the extra high fat mayonnaise on your sandwich, but will that help you reach your optimum weight? What happened to all of the lower calorie foods you have in your fridge and your pantry? What happened to your exercise program?
It’s important to always stay focused on your weight loss goal. What is really more important – satisfying a food craving at the moment, watching a television program, still not fitting into your clothes, or making the right food choices, getting off of the couch and exercising and not fitting into your clothes (this time because you are too thin!).
Here are some tips to get you back on track
Some dieters say that knowing your daily calorie limit is half the battle. Once you know how many calories you can take in a day things are simplified. You can eat anything you want up to your limit. You can eat and then ration the rest every day or you can plan ahead and know what you are going to eat, always keeping your healthier snacks with you to stave off any unexpected binges. You know your limit and you can eat according to what works for you.
Get your sleep. Sleep is very important to maintain weight loss. Getting a full nights rest every night will keep your body in fat burning mode.
Slow down. A lot of people are in the habit of eating fast, but when you shovel everything down in the first 5 minutes, your brain hasn’t had time to register that you have eaten. One good trick is to slow down and eat half of your meal. Wait 15 or 20 minutes and if you are still hungry, eat until you are full.
Drink a glass of water before every meal. This is a well known method that really works. If you drink a full glass of water before a meal, you will end up eating less.
Eat more fiber. Dump the refined foods such as white bread and white pasta, and replace these with whole grain substitutes. Whole grain will fill you up faster and keep you full longer. There is also a lot of fiber in vegetables and fruits.
Exercise is a must – in any form. If you diet without exercising, your body will help you lose muscle first, not the fat, which won’t do much for anyone’s appearance. So you may want to rethink your exercises and select the exercises you like and therefore will be more able to stick with. That way you will lose the fat and keep the muscle.
