Weight Loss Guidance Tips for Losing Those Extra Pounds

Are you tired of all the weight loss promises? The “Magic” pills, wraps and fad diets? I was too. I began my journey to a healthy lifestyle in the fall of 2010 weighing in at 176 pounds on a 5’3 frame. I had started and stopped many times with my healthy lifestyle journey. What made this time different was that I was truly tired and fed up with the disappointments. The inability to perform everyday tasks like walking upstairs without being winded was the final straw. The journey began with making a decision to take charge of my health and find some guidelines that made sense in my life and for my lifestyle. No more smoke and mirrors just simple changes I applied into my life that aided in my transition. These simple changes allowed me to let go of 40 pounds and 17% body fat. That was 5 years ago and I can gratefully say incorporating the following lifestyle changes allowed me to maintain my goal weight and increased my zest for life!

BREAKFAST

Break the fast pure and simple. If you only take one weight loss tip, make it this one; Eat Breakfast! Starting off your day with a healthy filling breakfast will help your metabolism regulate and will keep you from inappropriate snacking during the day. Eating breakfast on a daily basis will let your body know that it doesn't need to store as much of your food intake as fat and the pounds can start to shed away. I love the combination of healthy carbs, fiber and protein. My favorite breakfast consists of Steel cut oats, raspberries and an egg.

HEALTHY FATS

I began to incorporate healthy fats into my diet like those found in Salmon, Olive Oil, Almonds and Avocados. The benefits I noticed were a raise in my HDL (good cholesterol) and a reduction in LDL (bad cholesterol) Focus on consuming those in the unsaturated (poly and mono) fats family that help protect plaque buildup in the arteries and boost brain function (Omega-3s)

FOOD JOURNAL

Accountability! I balanced my checkbook but was not honestly keeping track on my nutrition. Writing it down and having to show it to my trainer helped retrained my habits and nutrition. Record everything you're consuming. Be honest! If you are eating more calories than what you are working off, you won’t lose the weight and all that time at the gym will be for naught! I repeat…everything! Keep a food journal on a daily basis. It is an invaluable weight-loss tool that can help you eat less and with great apps like Life Sum make it painless.

REMOVE THE WORD DIET

Get in the mindset of making this a “Lifestyle.” This will be an every day journey. My advice to keep your weight loss routine healthy and effective, avoid extreme or "crash" dieting. The ideal nutrition plan for healthy weight loss is a sustainable one. By their very natures, crash diets are short-term ordeals. Even though they may offer substantial short-term results, their long-term effect is negligible, or even harmful. It is better to develop a nutrition plan you can stick to over time - even permanently. What works for my lifestyle is consuming at least 85% whole and real food such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. Staying away from processed foods have also helped me in my journey.

DON’T GROCERY SHOP HUNGRY

Why? Because you’ll end up buying the entire cookie aisle…lol. Do not shop when you are hungry, if you are trying to lose weight plain and simple. If you are hungry you are very likely to make bad food choices. If an unhealthy food makes its way into your home, then it will probably end up in your mouth. Don’t make the journey more difficult. Plan your menu before shopping, and then try to get it done as quickly as possible.

EAT SLOWER

I credit my grandmother with teaching me this tip. She stated it would teach me to appreciate experience of enjoying a great meal. This tip also assists with controlling your appetite and lose weight. It can take the brain up to 20 minutes to give you the "full" signal, so take small bites and chew each mouthful 30 to 50 times. If you eat too quickly, you may feel uncomfortably full by the time your brain registers the amount of food that's in your stomach. Taking small portions can also help with this goal.

DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE

This is your race! Do not compare yourself to the people that you see on social media, print media and television. The unrealistic societal definitions will always have you chasing after an image that may not be ideal for your body or mind. The smoke and mirrors are just that. Stay in your lane and just focus on becoming the best you!

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE

This has been a huge key to my journey’s success. If people around you know that you're trying to change your lifestyle and lose weight, you will find some great support. Always tell people what you're doing. At the very least, they may refrain from shoving pizza in their faces in your presence, and that's a pretty good start as far as support goes. Find a walking buddy, a workout buddy and someone who can relate to your lifestyle changes. It is so important when those tough days come and they will. Stay strong and reach out for help. It will be the key factor in your decision to choose to live a healthy lifestyle.

Don't buy into the promises of the magic pill this lifestyle will take time, patients and consistency.

She teaches Bootcamp 9am T/TH and T/W/TH 5:30PM at Twinsburg Fitness Center. Personal Training session are also available. Follow: full_circle_fitness1908 (IG)