healthy laps

The hardest part of any weight loss is getting the motivation to start, and to follow through with your weight loss goals.

It is easy to go on a diet and lose a few pounds quickly (those few pounds are usually water weight), but it is not easy to keep that weight off longterm.

I lost over 60 pounds and have successfully kept it of for almost 8 years.  Research shows that once you keep something up (healthy eating and exercise) for 8 years, then it is unlikely that you will go back to your old ways (unhealthy eating and being sedentary).

I consider my weight loss a healthy living transformation instead of a diet.  Diets do not work – healthy living does.

I am happier than I have ever been, which is why I want to share my weight loss tips and advice with you!  I still use this advice today, even though I am not looking to lose more weight.  My tips are great to get the weight off and to keep it off.  I love to help others and see them succeed.  Good luck in your journey!

Weight Loss & Healthy Living Advice

[Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or an expert in this area, but I have found that these things worked for me.  If you have more specific questions, please contact your physician or an RD!]

• Eat Healthy. This should go without saying, but the most important thing in leading a healthy lifestyle is to eat wholesome foods, instead of processed crap!  Once you start eating whole fruits, vegetables and grains you will feel so good about yourself, that you will not want to revert back to the processed stuff.  Choose an apple for a snack that is full of fiber and nutrients, instead of rice cakes which contain neither!

• Always plan your meals! This was a huge factor in my weight loss.  Before going to the grocery store, I would plan out my meals for the week (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) so that I would only buy what I needed.  This way, it would keep me from buying unhealthy foods – and would keep me from eating them during the week.  Plan your meals around vegetables, and then add a little meat in order to fill up on the more nutritious, less caloric foods.

• Count calories. I have since stopped this, but it did help me at first.  I used to keep track of my daily calorie intake in order to make sure I was burning more calories than I was consuming!  By keeping a food diary and writing everything down, I was less likely to mindlessly snack, as well.  Check out CalorieKing.com or NutritionData.com to find out calories in your meals and to track your daily eats.  Most Americans consume 1/3 more calories than they think they do…

• Exercise! In order to lose weight, you need to move!  You need to burn more calories than you are consuming and the #1 way to do that is to exercise.  Start off with walking 20-30 minutes per day, and increase time and intensity as you become stronger and more fit.

• Change up your exercise! I noticed that I started to get bored with my exercise routine (and found myself skipping day after day), and also hit a plateau in my weight loss after losing about 45-50 pounds.  I started to lift more weights, and take kickboxing and spinning classes to shock my body – it worked!  I started to love exercising again.

• Create a workout plan. By listing out what you are going to do each week, and which days you are going to exercise, you are much more likely to stick to it!

• Drink water! This is so important.  Not only will it help you to stay hydrated with your new workout plan, but it will help you to feel full.  We are all so used to snacking these days, but that hunger might be mistaken for thirst!  If you are hungry a few hours after your last meal, try chugging some H2O to see if your hunger subsides.  If not, then it’s time for a snack!

• Avoid temptations. I’m not going to lie, this one was hard for me.  I was always that girl who was first to try the baked goods!  But, now I find that I don’t even want them – the majority are made with the devil – white flour and white sugar!  I did not feel this way overnight, however.  Instead, I made sure to always carry around snacks (homemade trail mixes, healthy bars, etc), so that if I was tempted, I would have some healthier to snack on.

• Don’t deprive yourself! This is my favorite tip!  The #1 reason that diets do not work is because people feel deprived.  You should not go out and eat an entire cake, but if you want a small slice for your birthday or at a party every once in a while, that is ok!  Mind-fully eat the cake – take small bites and stop when you are full.  Make sure that you are getting your necessary nutrients for the day and fill up on healthy stuff before heading to a party.  But, allow yourself a little something sweet so that you will not binge on it later on.

I hope that you found these tips helpful!  As I remember more, I will continue to add to the list.  Feel free to send any suggestions my way.  Most importantly, have fun learning about healthy eating!  Once the pounds start melting off you will gain confidence and feel great about yourself!