Are u ready to lose weight but aren’t sure how to start? Worry no more. Follow my 5 easy steps to weight loss today. No more delays. No more waiting until Monday. No more looking for the perfect diet. No more fad diets that cost bushels of money & don’t work. Follow these simple & effective steps & u’ll get started losing weight today, & keep it off tomorrow.
1. Carry a notebook & a pen.
Make sure u write in that notebook! Every single thing that u swallow should be written in ur notebook, preferably as soon as u swallow it. If you finish ur daughter’s leftover Pop-Tart at breakfast, write it down. Sample a cookie at the office? Write it down. Just a’taste’ of the stew u’re making for dinner? U’ve got it: Write it down! Writing down what we eat & drink forces us to be aware of what we’re putting in our mouth. It also gives us an easy way to track our intake & decide what changes we want to make.
2. Ask’why?’
Every time u start to eat or drink, ask urself 1 word: Why? Why am I eating this? Am I hungry, tired, bored, stressed, lonely? The correct answer is simple: hunger. If u’re not hungry, don’t eat. Figure out what u need to do to satisfy that emotion: Take a nap, read a book, yell at ur boss, call a friend - just don’t eat if u’re not hungry.
3. Eat to lose.
That’s right, if u skip meals u won’t lose weight. Why not? Because then u’ll get so hungry that u snack, or eat more than u want to, or end up feeling miserable & quit right away. Everybody needs to eat & deserves to eat 3 meals per day. Snacks, too(if, of course, u can answer #2 correctly first). And forget those skimpy little diet meals. They just leave u feeling hungry & unsatisfied. A meal should include whole grains, fruit & vegetables, protein & even a small amount of fat.
4. Remember ur favorite things.
If u’ve ever tried to completely avoid ur favorite food, then completely lost control & devoured the entire bag of cookies, u know what I’m talking about. Stuck on chocolate? Eat 1 delicious, exquisite piece of high-quality chocolate every evening. Savor that chocolate. Sit down, relax, & do nothing but enjoy the flavor, texture & experience of eating the chocolate. Eat slowly, enjoying every bite. And whatever u do, don’t feel guilty. A small portion of ur favorite food will keep u satisfied & happy - & losing weight.
5. Find a part of ur body that moves(not ur mouth) & move it.
Every1 can move something. If u have bad knees u can still exercise ur arms or even do water exercises in a pool. Take up line dancing or karate. Walk the dog in the morning before work, take the kids for a bike ride after school, or listen to favorite music while using ur treadmill. Even housework can become exercise if u move vigorously enough. Turn vacuuming into a race, wash windows with plenty of elbow grease, or scrub flours until u work up a sweat. There simply are no excuses for not moving. Every day. Monday through Sunday. Start with 5 minutes & add 1-5 additional minutes every week until u’re moving for at least 60 minutes every day. U can spread the activity times apart if u want: vacuum for 10 minutes in the morning, take a brisk 15-minute walk at lunch, ride bikes with ur sweetie after dinner for 30 minutes & carry out garbage(at a fast clip) for 5 minutes. U’ve done it!
There u have it: 5 simple, easy-to-start steps toward weight loss & long-term weight management. Start right now.