Losing Weight Tips

7 Cardinal Principles in Losing Weight

Are you excited about starting your “work-out” and “diet” plan? Are you are all hyped up to hit the gym with your new workout clothes?  Are you focused on reaching your goal weight? Well, good for you. You have the commitment, focus, desire and now you just need the principles. I call it the Seven Cardinal Principles in Losing Weight and coupled with the above, can definitely help you achieve your weight loss goals. Sound interesting? You bet. Here they are from 1-7.

Principle # 1: Determine Your Current Weight.

Don’t be overexcited. Before you start hopping on the treadmill or belly dance around the gym floor, weigh yourself first. It would be difficult to track how much you need to lose or how much you have lost, if you do not know your weight before you started your work-out.

Be honest in checking your current weight. Do not lie. Otherwise, you will just be cheating on yourself if you do. Remember that there is nothing to be ashamed of. After all, it will go down in a matter of time.

Principle #2: Identify Your Ideal Body Weight.

Your ideal body weight would depend on your gender, age, and height. So, check yours. This is important because this will be your goal. Without knowing this, it’s as if you are just exercising for the “heck of it.” Remember, no goal, no victory.

Principle #3: Set a Realistic Time Frame to Lose the Weight.

You should have known by now that change does not happen overnight. You cannot lose 10 pounds in one day. Accept that. So, give yourself enough time to reach your ideal weight. Through this, you will be able to align what you do with what you want.

Don’t give yourself “too much” time though. Is it necessary for you to spend five years to lose 5 pounds? I think not. The test to check if your time frame is realistic is whether or not it provides reasonable time for you to reach your goal.

Principle #4: Admit that You Need Guidance.

The sooner you admit that you need help, the better. A personal trainer or weight loss coach can identify the best way for you to lose weight. Oftentimes we need a little motivation and having a personal coach can help you get where you want to be. After all, he can help you get and stay motivated and accountability can be a very good thing.

Principle #5: Do not highlight your “cheat day.”

Yeah, you need to rest from the pressures of dieting so you got to have a cheat day. But hey, when you plan your diet strategy, do not overemphasize your cheat day.

Doing this will only make you pre-occupied of what to eat on that day, and anticipate it every “dieting” day you have. As a result, you increase your appetite which would lead you to really “pig out” and binge.

Principle #6: Do not starve yourself.

You do not intend to die, right? So why starve? You CAN actually eat when you diet, but you should stick to your diet plan. Acknowledge the fact that you are still human, no matter how less often you eat. And humans feel hunger.

The goal is not to feel really, really hungry. So the moment you feel famished, eat something that is low in calorie and fat but will make you feel full.

Principle #7: Drop the “what ifs.” Just go for it. It will work.

The reason why most people do not succeed in losing weight is that they sabotage every opportunity they have to make their strategy actually work. Even before they start, they think that they are doomed.

They pose a lot of “what ifs” – “what if my metabolism is really slow that no matter how much I exercise, I will not lose weight?, “What if the problem is my bone structure?, or “What if the people at the gym will laugh at me?”

Huh. Here’s the deal, you will really not lose weight if you just think about losing the weight. Instead, you have to take action and actually do something about it. Work it girl or guy!