Losing Weight For a New You

If you are like me, you might have started the year with a few New Year’s resolutions. Let me guess . . . losing weight is probably one of them. Or is it the foremost on the list? Well, personally, I think losing weight has been my number one New Year’s resolution for the past few years.

Oops my apologies to my dear readers—it’s been at the top of my list ever since I can remember! But I must say this year my approach to losing weight was a tad bit different. I started thinking about it a few days before the new year began. If you really want something good for yourself, why wait for a certain date?

Okay, so it’s easy to get entangled in a web of “How to . . . What to . . . and When to . . . ” but I needed to take a step back and re-evaluate a few things. Why do you want to lose weight? I am guessing that the # 1 response may be to look good. Correct?

Of course looking good is a big plus but FEELING good is unmatched! And sadly there is no risk-free guaranteed quick fix. The truth is losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight does not happen overnight. It’s all about a healthy lifestyle and developing good food habits. We live in a world where we are in a constant race with time.

Rushing to get to work, taking care of kids, being competent at work, fulfilling social obligations, and of course taking on the never-ending list of chores at home. But the truth is, it’s easy to forget that you are the center of your life. It is so very important to prioritize and make time for yourself. Because only then can you juggle everything else like a true champion.

Realize and remember that YOU are the center of your life.

I believe that losing weight truly requires a multi-pronged approach—one that tackles the mental and emotional challenges, instills healthy food habits, and tackles everything else that may contribute to our weight gain.

Losing Weight – A few Tried and Tested Tips

1. Do not Obsess about Numbers

The number on the scale has incredible power! I strongly believe that when you weigh yourself on that dreaded scale the number packs quite a punch. A small loss in kilograms may lead you to feeling on top of the world, and will probably propel you to have a fantastic day.

A small weight gain, however, may make you feel defeated. You spent time in the gym, tried to eat right and just about did everything you should be doing. But that darn scale! So here is my tip for you: do NOT weigh/measure yourself more than once a week. Stick to the same mode of measurement and try to keep it simple.

Use the same scale, same piece of clothing and the same time of measurement. Try resisting the temptation to hop on the scale in your friend’s bathroom and see whether there has been a dramatic change in your weight measure in the past two days! Simply because there is no need for multiple measurements on various scales in one week.

2. Healthy choices and NO MORE mind games

In the past few days I have felt my food choices have been better, easier and simpler than in the past. The solution is simple. Remember that you have no time for mind games. Never been a victim of mind games? Allow me to paint you a picture. You walk into a meeting room and sugary treats and drinks are staring you right in the face. And then you ask yourself the inevitable series of questions:

• “Should I go for it? A mere 300 calories is not going to do any harm,”,
• “Let me eat this chocolate frosted donut and I will just skip dinner,”
• “Oh all this thinking just makes me thirsty for a sugary drink.”

Or you are on your way home after a full day of work, and you feel you deserve that spicy deep fried super tasty snack. STOP right there! Make the quick decision not to have sweets and treats for no reason, and move on with your day.

3. No more Negativity

Have you ever decided that today is the brand spanking new day for a diet. And that’s it. Now the weight is going to simply melt away as the days go by. And lo and behold you share your enthusiasm with a co-worker or a family member and you really don’t get the support you anticipate.

In fact, you get convinced to start your diet tomorrow. That’s happened with me a few times! Or you get convinced a 100% that it’s not you but it’s your genes, and no matter how hard you try you may never lose the weight. Maybe.

Maybe NOT! How about you keep all the negativity and naysayers at bay and get going with what you want to do? Or what you should do? Don’t give up before you even started to give it your best shot!

4. Eat a Power-Packed Breakfast

So you made it on time to work or are in the midst of your morning chores for the day. You get bogged down with jobs for the morning (I know if it’s a Monday you are probably dealing with the blues too). Its almost 11.45 in the morning and you feel famished! Breakfast . . . is it really that important?

The truth is that the morning meal is an extremely important one. You have been fasting the entire night and you need to break that fast. Hence breakfast! It is essential to have a filling and protein-rich breakfast.  Having a good breakfast will only make your day at work simpler.

Here is the science part: When you have a balanced breakfast, there is no spike in your glycemic index (a measure of the blood sugar). Hence it lowers your urges to lunge at anything sugary. But on an empty stomach, let’s say you grab a donut, this will cause a spike in your blood sugar and bump up the glycemic index and yes, that is precisely why you want more and more sugar. And this may lead to poor choices throughout the day.

Also read Foods that Increase Metabolism and Help Lose Weight

Conclusion

Losing weight is not about any single quick-fix diet. It’s all about adopting a lifestyle change. Commit to one more way to increase your level of physical activity. The right amount of physical activity for you depends on your age.

If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution.

So what if January has just gone by, you still have the rest of your life to take care of. So let’s all drop the obsession with numbers, stop the negativity and mind games, and choose a nutritious and balanced meal to break that fast!