In order to successfully lose weight and keep it off the first thing you need is a plan for both diet and exercise.
Online Diet Diary
Planning your diet with a diet diary- visit www.livestrong.com and create a username, then select "Daily Plate". This is an excellent tool for holding yourself accountable for what you eat and be honest (no cheating here). This will give you a good sense of what you are actually eating and how many calories, fat, protein and carbs you are eating. You can also enter your weight loss goals and it will set the number of calories you should eat per day.
For every diet there are 8 others you can try, but you are not going on a diet, you are making a lifestyle change.
Tips for Diet Success
- Plan your meals
- Prepare meals at home
- Let's be practical- you may need and or want to eat out, so just make the BEST choices you can. Try and review the nutrition facts for the restaurant you are going to. This will help you make the best choice you can.
- Eat 4-6 small meals a day (depending on activity level)
- Consume 2-4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil- this will help you stay full and in my experience even help you lose weight.
- Allow yourself one "cheat" day per week- you can satisfy your cravings and not feel guilty.
What should your diet look like?
- Do your best to cut out processed foods- Read the labels, if you cannot pronounce it, you should not eat it.
- Add in LOTS of fresh fruit and veggies (local farmers market is a great place to visit)
- Limit sugar intake (real and artificial)
- Carbs should be whole grains, oatmeal, sweet potato, brown rice, whole wheat pasta.
- Proteins- Chicken Breast, Fish, Pork, Lean Steak
- Fats- Nuts, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Peanut Butter (yes you need to consume healthy fats)
- Limit dairy- Instead try Feta Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Hard Boiled Eggs
- Veggies and Fruit- Load Up
- Drink LOTS of water throughout the day
Working Out
Workout routines should consist of weights and cardio. If you can, a gym or fitness studio is a great place to start. Group fitness classes are a great resource- its structured, you can get a great workout in 1 hour and you might make a few new friends along the way. Have fun with it- this will make your workout journey a success! Try a Zumba Class, Spinning Class, Body Pump Class, etc.
The Key to Staying Successful
Monitor your progress- weigh yourself once per week to see how you are doing and remember that life is a journey, enjoy the ride, even if it’s challenging.
