Weight loss is a common desire, but you may find that you can't lose as much weight as you'd like, or can't adhere to your diet as firmly as you'd hoped. This may be because you've created a rigorous exercise regimen that doesn't motivate you, or because your diet is too restrictive. Diet and exercise are basic concepts you've rightly been told will help you burn fat, but they aren't the only factors in weight loss. The secret to an effective weight loss plan is in the details.
Perform the Right Exercises
You can't spot-reduce, so if you're trying to lose love handles via hip exercises, or belly fat with crunches, you won't see results. To lose weight anywhere, you need to lose weight overall. Aerobic exercises like running, cycling, swimming and jumping rope help you burn fat and enhance the caloric deficit you need to lose weight. If you're bored with these, try aerobic alternatives like kickboxing, hula hooping, dancing, cross-country skiing, rowing and rock climbing. If you want to target muscle groups while burning fat, try aerobic exercises like jumping squats and step-ups, which tone the lower body and increase heart rate.
Don't Give Up All Pleasures
While maintaining a healthy, controlled diet is essential to weight loss, keeping it strict all the time will increase your chances of a diet relapse. To avoid this, don't cut guilty pleasures out of your diet completely. Instead, eat them occasionally as a reward for a consistent run of diet adherence. If your guilty pleasure is at a restaurant, cut the portion size by half or more and save it for the next day. If you happen to eat more than intended, make up for it by eating fewer calories in later meals.
Watch the Ingredients
Milk and cheese are healthy choices; they provide ample calcium to keep your bones strong. Yogurt is also healthy, supplying the body with healthy bacteria, and eggs can help reduce your risk of breast cancer. However, these foods can be high in fat, adding inches to your waistline. Try low-fat versions of these foods, so that you get their beneficial nutrients without the fat. Also watch your condiments and dressings; salads are healthy, but if you add certain dressings, like ranch, poppy seed and French, you're adding fat. Substitute low-fat alternatives.
Start Gradually
Starting a diet gradually increases the chances you'll stick with it. Begin by substituting only a few high-fat items for healthier alternatives and gradually increase the substitutions when you feel you can adhere to them. For instance, swap soda for water first, and then move to swapping buttered, cheesy noodles for noodles cooked in olive oil. Note that when choosing substitutions, you should set realistic goals, based on changes you know you can maintain for the long term.
References
- ShapeFit: Cardio Exercises to Burn Major Calories!
- Real Women's Fitness: 2 Vital Facts and 5 Powerful Exercises for Toning Your Legs and Butt
- Health Castle; 10 Tips for Easy Weight Loss; Gloria Tsang, RD; Sept. 2005
- Calories per Hour; Weight Loss Information and How to Get Started
- The Diet Channel; 8 Tips for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off; Kathleen Goodwin, RD; Sept. 27, 2006
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