A personal commitment to your health is the key to having long term success with any weight loss you may accomplish. If you do not make lifestyle changes, you are extremely likely to gain any weight loss back once you resume your old eating habits.
Most of us have an emotional attachment to foods. We eat foods that give us comfort for one reason or another. It is vital to break free of emotional eating and focus on good health.
Following the tips listed below, you will lose weight and keep it off. Don't consider these tips a diet plan or a program to lose weight fast. Rather, consider it a lifestyle change that will keep you healthy and facilitate weight loss in the process.
1.First and foremost - eliminate all processed foods! These foods are devoid of nutrition and loaded with ingredients that have been adulterated, contain preservatives and chemicals. They are filled with empty calories and make it difficult to lose excess weight. If you do need to purchase packaged processed products, adhere to the rule of 5. When a food contains more than five ingredients, don't buy it. Putting this into practice, this tip alone will encourage big time weight loss!
2.Consume foods that are mostly raw. Pack your meals with organic fruits and vegetables. There are dozens of incredible raw cookbooks out there. Glance through some in the library or book store and check out all of the masterpieces you can create with simple produce. Being creative with your fruits and veggies will keep you from getting bored with eating sprouts and salads.
3.Drink enough water. Staying hydrated is so important. Be aware of drinking at least half of your body weight in water every day. Drinking herbal teas count towards your water consumption. Sugary sweetened juices and soft drinks do not! Try coconut water. It is nature's Gatorade. It is completely natural and a delicious alternative to juice.
4.Don't count your calories. Adapting your diet by eating the proper foods is enough. You do not need to count calories! If you can dump the processed foods from your diet, you will stop having cravings for unhealthy foods. The first few days of the elimination will be difficult and you may experience detoxification symptoms, but this will pass and you will then begin to feel great. Consuming high quantities of sugar brings on false cravings for sugar.
5.If you choose to eat meat, make sure it is from free range, grass fed animals. Animals that are fed a grass fed diet and are free to roam the farm are leaner and healthier. They are not pumped with hormones or fed corn products. When considering a meal consisting of fish, choose wild caught, deep water fish such as tuna, salmon, or mackerel. Wild caught (not farm-raised) fish are high in omega 3 fatty acids. These acids are important to heart health.
6.Consume whole grains. Quinoa, brown rice, spelt, and millet are great choices. Say goodbye to processed pastas that are made from white or even whole wheat flour. Focus on pastas made only from whole grains and water such as brown rice pasta or spelt pasta. These types of pastas are easy to digest and will not leave you with a bloated or full feeling.
7.Snack on nuts. Raw nuts that have not been salted are healthy and chock full of monounsaturated fats that our bodies need. Prepare your own trail mix at home by using a variety of raw nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, and brazil nuts. To the nuts add dried fruits (without added sugar), some shredded coconut and raw cacao nibs (the HEALTHY raw form of chocolate that does not contain sugar and has not been processed). Shake up your concoction and dole it out into snack bags that you can take on the go. This trail mix is not only packed with nutrition but is filling and satisfying as well.
8.Cook your meals from scratch. This is definitely one of the most important healthy diet tips on this list! Making your meals at home from scratch ensures that the contents are fresh and pure. You will be moving away from foods that contain the chemicals, additives and preservatives found in processed foods. Consuming meals that are nutritionally packed is vital for long term good health.
9.Eliminate refined sugar! There are substitutes that are healthier and more nutritious. Refined process sugar is detrimental to health and is snuck into almost every processed food in one form or another. Some studies have likened sugar to poison. If you need to sweeten some food a bit, use stevia, honey or a quality agave nectar.
10.Keep driving by that drive through! Don't eat at fast food places such as McDonalds, KFC and Burger King! If you find yourself in a situation where you must consume a meal from a fast food establishment, Wendy's is a better choice. Some of the menu items Wendy's offers such as baked potato (without any of the added toppings which are fatty) and various salads will at least take you through a meal without too much detriment to your health. However, even consumption of Wendy's should be kept to a minimum.
You may wish to buy some new clothes! Following the lifestyle changes listed above you will bring about certain weight loss. Get your mind set in order. Don't look at these changes as dieting tips, consider them lifestyle improvements. By incorporating these changes into my regime, I not only developed a deeper appreciation for real foods, but lost 50 pounds in the process. My goal was not to lose weight but to gain health. I did both!
During the process, I never was required to count calories nor did I feel dissatisfied or hungry. I never had to watch the quantities of foods that I ate. Growing accustomed to a healthy lifestyle takes commitment. But, once you make that commitment, eating the right foods becomes second nature. You will not want to ever go back to a diet that is high in processed junk foods. You will change your palate and adapt it to appreciate the true, natural flavor of foods. You will be eating healthy, feeling younger and looking better than you have in years.
No comments:
Post a Comment