Let's be honest. It's not easy to always do the right thing. And weight loss is not easy. It's a change of life style. There are no magic pills or a portable workout arena that is going to get you looking and feeling better. It all depends on YOU.
In order to be healthy, you need to live a healthy lifestyle. What works is what you are going to do for the rest of your life. So hear are some things for DO's and DON'Ts that may answer some questions and make things easier to realize...
DO:
-Eat a healthy meal, 3 times a day, and snacks. It's not necessarily how much you eat, it's what you eat. Yes, of course don't over do it, but you shouldn't be starving.
-Eat a breakfast, every morning. After a night of FASTing, your body needs food to jump start it's metabolism and give you energy. When your body starves, it prepares its self for the worst. Which means everything you eat is stored as fat as your bodies way of saying "oh man, save this because who knows when we will get food again!" Not good.
-Exercise. Dieting is not enough. Even if you have to start small, at least you are doing something extra. Ideally, 30 minutes a day minimum. But this can count as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking the dog, or parking at the end of the lot at walmart and walking inside. Also, more muscle means burning more calories. More muscle means higher metabolism.
Ok and now for a few DON'Ts...
-Don't reach for that fake sugar crap on the shelf. BAD BAD BAD. Yes 0 calories, but that stuff is not helping you at all. It's not just about losing weight, it's about taking care of your body. These sweeteners claim to be "natural" but are processed. And I mean diet sodas and that crap too. You want something that is good for you? Drink water. 0 calories, 0 fat. And if you want to complain that it "tastes weird" or "has no flavor" then don't complain that you are having a hard time losing weight and you have no energy. Sorry if that's mean, but you have to be willing to sacrifice... and you aren't really losing anything when it comes to bad food except weight... and you gain good health.
-Don't skip meals. I know I kinda said it before, but skipping meals is one of the worst things you can do on a diet. At no point should you actually feel really hungry. If you do, grab a healthy snack. And I don't mean those 100 cal packs... because to feel any better you'd probably eat like 3 of them... 3x100=300. Oh crap. Instead eat some fruit or veggies. Find something that fills you up enough with low calories.
-Don't make an unrealistic goal. I'm not saying don't tell yourself you want to lose 50 lbs, but you aren't going to lose it in 2 months. Not unless you are at the bottom of a canyon with only cactus and scorpions to munch on... eh. Anyway make realistic goals so that when you reach it, you become motivated to work harder. If you don't reach an unrealistic goal, you begin to feel worse about yourself and eventually quit. Which leads me to....
-Don't Give up. You are not going to see instant results, but you will instantly feel better about having a healthier life style. It does not happen over night or in one week or one month. Commercials and wacked out plans are crap. They may help some, but you can't do that for a life time. You have to make small changes over time to make a big difference in your life.
I hope that this helps you and doesn't upset too many folks out there. If you feel offended by something, then one of these probably hit you spot on and you need to make some changes. I want to help others, but only those who want to help themselves.
Good luck everyone and hang in there! It's not just about losing weight, it's gaining a healthy lifestyle!
