8 Secrets For Lasting Weight Loss

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This guest post was submitted by Blast Media.

Trying to lose weight can be an uphill battle, and when you factor in the mass amounts of information out there, it can only get harder. The messages put forth by various sources can confuse the average dieter in a sense that the majority of diets conflict with one another. To make it easier, I have gone through many of the popular options and listed the best 8 secrets that will help you lose the weight and keep it off.

Avoid Starvation

Reducing your calorie intake is an important part of losing weight, but most people end up cutting back too far and starving their bodies. When the body doesn’t get enough fresh calories for its basic functions, it makes your metabolism slow down in order to compensate. The average person needs between 1,800 and 2,000 calories daily in order to function optimally, while dieting a daily intake of 1,600 to 1,800 is acceptable.

Lowering your intake too much will give you rapid weight loss results in the short term; however your body will stop burning calories after some time in an effort to prevent starvation. This lowering of your metabolism will result in an increased amount of weight gain when your eating habits normalize. Before starting on a reduced calorie diet, think about your ability to maintain those eating habits for a long period of time. If you think that you won’t be able to, choose another diet.

Like What You Eat

The word dieting inspires thoughts of torture for most people; instead consider the positive aspects of going through a lifestyle change. Food that is lower in fat will make up a larger part of your meals, but that doesn’t mean they have to be tasteless. Pick up a book of healthy recopies and master them. You would be surprised at the range of mouth watering, weight reducing dishes you can create. It will also make you feel better knowing you are preparing something good for both you and your family.

Avoid Roller Coaster Regret

The most common roadblock is starting a diet only to find yourself “cheating” on your portions or calories. Just because you don’t stick to the plan perfectly isn’t a reason to give up. As long as you stick to your regime most of the time, you will still lose weight. Embrace the fact that no one is perfect, and neither is your diet.

Don’t Eat Your Emotions

Humans have a tendency to eat when they are happy, sad, angry or bored. Instead of blindly shoving food in your mouth when faced with strong emotions, ask yourself if you are really hungry. Loosing weight and keeping it off is also about understanding the underlying factors in your life that make you eat.

Savor Your Meals

When was the last time you really paid attention to your meal and not others tasks you needed to accomplish? Take the time to remove everything from your mind and focus on savoring the flavors of your food. Chew well and slowly to make your food last longer. You will feel full faster and also find that your food digests much easier than before.

Avoid Trans Fat, Eat Fresh

Fried and processed foods have a lot of Trans fats that are hard for the body to digest. The chemicals in Trans fats affect not only your thyroids, but also your insulin levels. Read labels on any packaged foods, and avoid those high in Trans fat as well as those with vegetable oil. Focusing your regime on fresh food not only gives your body a break, but you will be getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs to survive. Make sure you eat some form of protein with each of your meals to help you stay full longer and boost your metabolism.

Don’t Fall For The Hype

Reading is important, but that doesn’t mean all the information out there is accurate. Try suggestions, but don’t base your entire diet on a few articles, not even this one! The same goes for labels on food, fat free is great but that doesn’t means its good for you or that is has no Trans fat. Read the nutritional labels to access the sugar content, calories and other traps hidden in processed food.

Stay The Course

Weight loss is always a struggle no matter who you are. The initial stages of your diet regime will be the most challenging, and will also be the easiest time to give up. Your mental health will go through a lot of changes as your body fights against changing how you have lived for the past several years. Fight the urge to walk away, eventually your mind and body will adapt to your new lifestyle and the weight will fall off and stay off!

What secret tip do you have to keep the weight off?