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!
Categories:
Losing Weight Tips Tags:
So you’re ready to lose weight but you need to create a diet plan that caters to your needs. Being a vegetarian, it’s difficult to get the protein you need without taking in a lot of fat as well. However, there are some great ways to get all the vitamins and minerals you need and still lose weight. Below, we’ll discuss how to create an easy, healthy vegetarian diet plan.
Supermarket Finds
There are a lot more options for vegetarians in the supermarket these days, including vegetarian meals and entrees. Stock up on healthy entrees like vegetarian meat balls, ‘hamburger’ patties, lasagna and other goods. Be sure to check the calorie content of these items and the calories per serving so you can keep track as you create your diet plan.
Eat All You Want
There are many foods a vegetarian can eat, and some that they can eat a LOT of. This is a great way to feel full without feeling deprived. Some of those foods that you can pretty much eat unlimited amounts of include celery stalks, carrots, cabbage, spinach, kale, and other leafy greens. Stocking up on these foods allow you to have bigger portions and still lose weight.
What to Avoid
Many vegetarians don’t eat meat, but they eat a lot of eggs, cheeses, milk, and other dairy products. These products are generally very fattening and contain a lot of calories. Avoid foods like this, or eat them in strict moderation, to avoid jeopardizing your diet. Sugary foods like soda, pre-packaged snack cakes, cookies, donuts, and muffins are packed full of fat and calories. Eat these in moderation, so you don’t fail your diet right before you’ve even started.
Count calories and create a healthy vegetarian diet plan that includes servings of fruit and vegetables, protein, whole grains, and very little fat content. Write down everything you eat each day, as it can be easy to lose track and accumulate more calories than you’d intended on eating. Using these tips can help you create a healthy vegetarian diet plan.
A protein-rich diet is actually highly recommended for people who are physically active because it is all about eating food that helps a person feel more energized. Protein also has the known ability to decrease the amount of fluids in the body by burning carbohydrates.
The high protein diet is also popular among many people because it can decrease the weight loss time frame significantly. Some of the high protein substances you will encounter are whey which comes from cow’s milk, casein which is another protein from cow’s milk, turkey which is very lean meat, nuts and soy.
There are some issues about high protein diets that have deterred many people from trying it, mainly because of fear of developing health problems unnecessarily. There is truth to some of these issues. However, with proper care and attention to detail, you can use the high protein diet, and not succumb to any health issue.
For example, the day you start using the high protein diet, expect to feel the following symptoms. It may not happen to everyone, and the intensity will differ for each one, but these symptoms will manifest themselves in one way or another.
Sudden Weight Loss – This happens because the diet will cause the body to starve for fat and sugar. Your body will probably find the fat and sugar it is looking for in the different body organs, and will use them.
Constipation – This will happen if you skip the part of this diet that requires you to consume fresh fruits and vegetables. If you just eat the whole grain, whey, and bread as your main food staple, it will give your digestive system a difficult time to process the food, and result in constipation.
Fatigue – Fatigue will happen because of the absence of the usual sugar content in your diet. You can avoid this by taking a small snack with carbohydrates like something with pasta or potatoes.
Drop in Blood Pressure – This will happen because of lack of essential vitamins in your diet. This is why it is important that the high protein diet contains essential vitamins either in food or food supplement form.
Low Calcium – You will need to watch the amount of calcium you take because if you stay on a high protein diet for over 4 weeks, the calcium levels in your body may be severely depleted, and affect your bones. Take supplements and vitamins to make sure you do not get to this point.
It is important that before you start on a high protein diet, you talk to your doctor and get his or her approval. Your doctor will probably want to keep tabs on your progress to make sure your body is able to cope with the diet. So, if your doctor requires you to come in for a check- up after 2 or 3 weeks, make sure you follow his request since it could prevent potential health issues.