Have you ever struggled with dieting or figuring out what to do to lose weight and to keep it off in an effort to maintain a healthier lifestyle? There are a myriad of weight loss drugs, companies, apps, products, services and surgeries readily available. However, in the midst of the barrage of medical and pharmaceutical breakthroughs that may or may not work, there are 10 tried and true steps to obtaining optimal physical health that have worked for me. As a result of implementing these steps and making them a part of my daily habits, I have lost in excess of 60 pounds.
Step 1: Create a mental image of your new desired body. One of the best things I did to jump start my weight loss success was to see myself the way I wanted to look, dress, and feel so that I could function at an optimal level. The power of meditation affects both the conscious and the subconscious mind and allows the body to operate in alignment with what the mind sees and believes.
Step 2: Determine to do only what you can continue for the rest of your life. I decided that whatever I chose to do in terms of eating and exercising would be something that I could follow through with and learn to enjoy for the rest of my life. My exercise routine needed to be believable to me and therefore achievable. I just needed to activate my willpower and use wisdom to pace myself and be consistent.
Step 3: Choose an accountability partner and let them know of your progress and regress. It is always easier to exercise with someone else or even with a group, but that isn’t always feasible. I knew I needed to choose an accountability partner if I really wanted to succeed, and that I also needed to have discipline to follow through alone if and when necessary. However, having someone to share successes and failures with provides much needed support which should be mutually beneficial.
Step 4: Choose a system or app to record food choices, exercise routines and weight that works best for you. An app such as Lose It can compute how many calories are budgeted daily based on the number of pounds I want to lose weekly to reach my goal weight. This accountability system which also includes the health and fitness capabilities of my iPhone and Apple watch, has been wonderful in helping me to create and maintain good, healthy habits in making wiser food choices and exercising regularly.
Step 5: Commit to burning more calories than you consume with consistent cardiovascular and strength training exercises. Since I purposed not to deprive myself of all the foods I like because I despise diets, I make sure that I burn off more calories than I eat in order to lose the weight I need to lose to stay on track. I have now increased my workout from 3 to at least 4-5 times a week, and my body both craves and loves it!
Step 6: Drink plenty of water and limit sodas, caffeine and alcoholic beverages. It is recommended that we consume at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day. Benefits of drinking water include weight loss; relief of headaches and back pains; youthful and healthy skin; better productivity at work; more energy; help with digestion and constipation; less cramps and strains; decreased likelihood of becoming ill; relief of fatigue; a better mood; and a reduced risk of bladder and colon cancer.
Step 7: Eat 3 balanced meals per day with healthy snacks in between to boost your metabolism. Eating meals consistently with small snacks in between such as fruit, almonds, trail mix, granola or 100 calorie snack packs, will speed up our metabolism as opposed to slowing it down as a result of meals being skipped. I also consume a 30 gram protein shake along with a protein bar early in the morning starting my day. My new body thanks me for it, particularly as I age gracefully!
Step 8: Discipline yourself to implement a cut-off time to prohibit late night eating. Late night eating years ago caused painful and almost unbearable heartburn and indigestion. My heartburn and indigestion stopped when I began to do something different: I decided not to eat after 7 p.m. except for special, scheduled functions. This one change alone aided in dramatic weight loss.
Step 9: Get the proper amount of rest. The ideal amount of sleep to get is between 7-9 hours per night. Older individuals may find it useful to take a power nap during the day as well. I, too, feel well-rested and prepared for the day when I’ve received at least 8 hours of sleep the night before.
Step 10: Adjust your weight loss or maintenance goals accordingly as needed. It is perfectly fine to plan for days to eat the desserts, breads and pasta dishes we desire. Adjusting our plans along the way will require devising and following through with a strategy to burn off excess calories consumed by increasing our exercise regimen as well as by decreasing the portions of food we eat the next day or so until we get back on track.
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