Internet weight loss community, The Diet Channel has put out a Top 10 list of the most fundamental steps to losing weight and keeping it off. None of these tips will blow your mind as anything new and innovative, and there’s a reason for that: losing weight does not have to be rocket science. Nearly all successful and enduring weight loss programs incorporate one or more (often all) of the following primary factors in achieving and maintaining one’s ideal weight.
Cardiovascular Exercise (aka Aerobic Exercise)–. The Diet Channel recommends a minimum of 5 sessions per week of 30 minutes in length each for there to be any significant affect on weight loss. Don’t have time for a solid 30 minutes stretch (nor the stamina)? No problem. 3 sessions of 10 minutes each in one day counts as one 30 minute session.
Weight Training – It points out that the more muscle tissue a person has, the more calories their body can burn. In other words: gain muscle, lose weight.
Keep a Food Diary – The Diet Channel recommends keeping a written record of what you eat, how much of it you eat, and when you eat it. In addition, it advises jotting down a few words about your level of hunger prior to eating and any thoughts or feelings you had afterwards.
Health First – The next tip is a change in belief, a shift in your state of mind, whereby you train your focus on staying healthy, not on getting thin. When you’re healthy, you achieve and maintain your natural and ideal state.
Identify Your Triggers – The Diet Channel points out that we often eat (or overeat) in response to stress. Identify what form of stress prompts you to eat – boredom, loneliness, guilt, shame, anxiety – and you identify the path to slimming down.
Join a Support Group – Support groups are an essential element of a successful and lasting weight loss program,. You’re likely to find numerous options available to you in your area. Don’t cheat yourself of the benefit of support and encouragement from other human beings going through the same thing as you.
Portion Control – Oftentimes, a larger contributor to unwanted weight isn’t what you eat but how much of it you eat. Proper portion control can open up your world to a whole breadth of food choices you may previously have denied yourself.
One Day at a Time – Make realistic goals for yourself, and set realistic limits. Make it easier on yourself to succeed in your program of losing weight by avoiding placing unrealistic expectations on yourself. Don't try to lose a massive amount of weight in a short period of time. Just don’t do it. Spread it out, slow and steady. That, they say, is what wins the race.
