Like so many others this time of year, if you’ve got a resolution that includes weight loss and getting in better shape, then you’re certainly not alone. Wanting to look great in a bikini on an upcoming trip, show up everyone at your high school reunion or prepare for a wedding, are all terrific motivations to encourage change, but how will your outcome be different from year’s past and how will you maintain it beyond the existing goal? Well, if you find something you can stick with in the long run, the inspiration may last long after the chalky meal replacement shakes run out.
In order to lose weight, there must either be a deficit in calories consumed an increase of calories expended or better yet, both! Combining the two, eating less and moving more, is a major step (pun intended) in the right direction. The addition of an exercise program promotes weight loss at an accelerated rate and is a far better option than a drastic caloric deficit. Cutting calories will certainly create change, but if this is a change you can’t keep up with forever, it will eventually leave you falling flat.
Because our genetics differ, finding what’s right for you is key and the same thing may not be ideal for everyone. Some trial and error should be expected in the discovery of what that something is. That said, finding a meal plan you enjoy, can stick with long-term and that isn’t so strict it causes you to hibernate from social situations, will be essential to it being successful for you. When considering a new diet or lifestyle, some questions you should definitely ask yourself are:
Is it sustainable?
A program that teaches you proper portion control, how to make good choices when dining out and encourages all real food is realistic and ideal. A drastic amount of weight loss in a very brief time period is not healthy and will likely cause a rebound at some point. If you cannot maintain the same drastic measures you took to lose the weight, you will inevitably rebound. Crash diets are not the answer, changing your mindset and how your relationship with food is.
Does it motivate you?
Does it excite you? If a healthy meal plan involves eating orange roughly 5 times a day, are you really going to last beyond the first day? Mercury poisoning aside, do you even like fish and can you tolerate eating it all day everyday? If your answer is “no,” then this is not a lifestyle change that will last or motivate you. If you enjoy variety and crave an assortment of healthy real foods, you will find motivation in a plan that can offer you flexibility and not the same monotonous food repetitiously. Look for something that offers what you’re own unique personality will enjoy and find excitement in.
Is it realistic?
If someone tells me they are drinking 2-3 meal replacement shakes a day and eating one healthy meal, I tend to cringe a little on the inside. I do applaud anyone willing to make a change geared towards better health, that said, when the time comes to replace those shakes with real food and in real life situations, how will you sustain the weight loss if you are uncertain of what and how to eat? Utilizing the convenience of a protein shake on the go in place of a drive through fast fix may be a good option, but a better option includes educating yourself on what real foods will feed and nourish your body over and above any processed laboratory created consumable.
Does it encourage good habits?
My definition of health includes both a physical and a mental component. Nourishing the mind and body in conjunction are crucial to a new lifestyle endeavor. If there is no room for flexibility, an open meal or an occasional indulgence, a plan that is far too strict may encourage an unhealthy relationship with food. Restricting yourself to the point of insanity can create bingeing on the very foods you’ve forbidden yourself. A better option will allow for occasional treats in line with your goals. Be it once per week or more, moderation in your diet can encourage a healthier mind/body relationship with food and an overall healthier you!
The best healthy weight loss tips will help you carve out a diet that is sustainable, motivational, and realistic. Bring it all together with a meal management system that combines all your food and takes all the guessing out of your daily calories, and there’s no excuses not to begin your new fitness journey today – the right way, the healthy way. – See more at: http://www.sixpackbags.com/blog/healthy-weight-loss-tips/#sthash.by9rhv1j.dpuf.
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