Losing weight when you have a lot to lose can be overwhelming and leave you feeling hopeless. I want to share with you how I have overcome that hopelessness and made weight loss fit seamlessly into my life with some of my simple tips to lose weight.
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Here are my simple to tips to lose weight and beat the overwhelm:
- Take small steps toward changing your lifestyle. You don’t have to go all in at the beginning. If you’re just starting and it all seems too much, try making small changes to how you eat or start walking a little a few times a week. As you feel better, you’ll want to make more changes.
- Set smaller goals that seem more attainable. If you have 100 pounds to lose, set a goal for 20 pounds. Once you hit that, set another small goal. This is going to make it way less overwhelming. When you think about losing 100 pounds, it can seem like it will take forever or maybe not even possible. Trust me, these bite sized goals will help you stay on track and make the whole process feel much less daunting.
- Take progress pictures and measurements, but not too often. It’s rewarding to see your hard work paying off, but weighing, measuring and taking progress photos too soon can discourage you if they don’t meet your expectations. The scale is the most evil of all. Are you one of those people who jumps on the scale every time you go in the bathroom? Unfortunately, I’ve done that lots of times and the end result is disappointment and sadness. Have you been there? Stay off of that silly scale. I recommend weighing no more than once a week or even less if you can help yourself. Photos and measurements should only be done once a month or less. Instead of focusing on the numbers, take pride in your clothes getting looser and being able to physically do new things that weren’t possible before. When I started losing weight, I was out of breath in no time when I went walking. Now I can do a combination of running and walking with no problems. To me that’s a much greater achievement than the number on the scale. You can use my free weight loss tracker to keep track of your progress.
- Don’t obsess about losing weight! I know it’s hard not to when you’re working so hard. Which leads me to my next point…
- Find a nutrition and exercise program that you can live with long term and still enjoy life. Crash diets only cause you to obsess about how much weight you’re losing and all the things you’re missing out on. Find something that fits your life rather than you working your life around a diet. I promise this is the key to long lasting weight loss and maintenance! If there’s only one of these simple tips to lose weight that you put into action, make it this one! This is the easiest way of eating I’ve found that I can stick to. It’s not too restrictive and it works!
- Find a support group of like-minded people. Your family and friends may not understand the struggles you face on your weight loss journey. Find a support group locally or online that you can go to for motivation, help, and to challenge you.
- Move your body doing something you love. Exercise doesn’t have to be throwing weights around at the gym or running on the treadmill. Check out this list of super fun ways to burn calories.
- Take it one day at a time. If you are following a program that fits your life, this one will be pretty easy. Take things day by day. Life events like parties and holidays will come up. If you indulge a little on those days, don’t beat yourself up about it. Tomorrow is a new day.
- Drink water! This is an important one. I used to be a non-water drinker. Uh, hello?! You can’t survive without water let alone expect to lose any weight. If you aren’t a big fan of plain water, try some lemon or lime in it or get an infuser and try some fruit infusions.
- Cut the chemicals. Try shopping on the outer edges of the grocery store. Avoid all the processed garbage in boxes in the middle aisles. If you can afford organic, go for that. If not, wash your fruits and vegetables with a mixture of vinegar and water or a fruit and veggie wash to remove chemical residue.
- Get enough sleep. This one is hard for a lot of people, but sleep is very important to weight loss. It’s your body’s recovery period. Try to at least get 7 or 8 hours.
- Eat 5 or 6 small meals to avoid being hungry during the day. I know if I allow myself to get too hungry, I want to eat everything in sight. The best way for me to avoid this is to eat a small meal every 2 to 3 hours. I never get that starving feeling. If possible eat some protein for each meal to keep you full and satisfied longer.
- Fight cravings by giving your body the nutrients it needs. Cravings are a way of our bodies telling us they need something. Click here for a list of common cravings, the nutrients your body needs and what you can eat to get those nutrients.
I hope you find these simple tips to lose weight helpful and that they set you up for success. I still have a lot to lose and I implement these strategies to keep me going. I hope you’ll join me and make your weight loss journey seem less overwhelming.
Have any simple tips to lose weight you want to share? Drop a comment below! I’d love to hear!
XOXO,
Cassie
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