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It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to get rid of 10 pounds or 50, the weight loss journey is filled with ups and downs. Old habits die hard and finding the motivation to keep going is sometimes hard to master. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools you can rely on to help you get there. Some are free while others may require a purchase, but all have been instrumental in helping others to lose the weight and keep it off.
Set Weight Loss Goals
The first step to losing weight is to set a goal or ideal weight. How do you know how much you should lose? Or more importantly, how much should you lose to be healthy? Not sure the answers to those questions? You can use a BMI calculator to help you understand the recommended numbers for your body. A BMI calculator is designed to measure your body fat based on factors like your height and weight. If your body mass index (BMI) is high then you’ll most likely want to bring it down. If it is low, then this post probably isn’t for you as you may need to gain weight instead of losing it. Once you’ve established your baseline you can outline your goals. Make sure to set smaller goals which will help you reach you larger end goal. Smaller goals help you stay motivated as you can see success along the way.
Track Physical Activities
Staying active is important to your weight loss journey. In general, the more active you are the faster you burn calories and reach your goal weight. If you’re new to working out, try keeping a log of your physical activities to give you a better gauge on how many calories you’ve burned for the day. A log can be as simple as an app or a pedometer which you can attach to your belt or arm. Or, if you want to get a bit more advanced, you can use applications like Fitbit to track all of your daily activities.
Watch Those Calories
What you eat has a large impact on how much weight you pack on. If it’s lean muscle and a sleek physique you’re after, chowing down on takeout and fast food isn’t going to cut it. You’ll need to eat foods rich in protein, good fats, and other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. You also want to be mindful of calories as the goal for losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume each day. Instead of trying to guess you can use a food tracker app to count the calories for you. All you do is type in the food or dish you ate and wait for the app to calculate the calories.
Mind Your Portions
It’s not always what you eat that’s bad for you, but how much of it you eat. Consuming too many calories (especially empty ones) will pack on the pounds for sure. The best way to keep this under control is to eat recommended portions of food at each meal. The average person should be eating 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruit, 2 ½ to 3 cups of vegetables, 5-8 ounces of grain, 3 cups of low-fat dairy, and 5 to 6 ounces of protein on a daily basis. As it can be hard to try to figure this out on your own, you can use items like measuring cups and spoons, portion control utensils, and plastic storage containers to ensure you’re getting the right amounts with each meal.
Blender
If there’s one thing you’ll hear a lot of when trying to lose weight and get in shape, it’s consuming lots of fruits, veggies, and protein. Sometimes, it can be hard for you to incorporate the necessary amount into your regular meals which is where shakes and smoothies come in. You can have a fruit and vegetable smoothie or shake several as a meal replacement or snack at least once a day and notice a dramatic difference in yoru weight loss efforts. All you need is a decent blender to mix and chop everything up. One thing to keep in mind is the sugars in fruit. Loading up on all fruit smoothies could mean you’re consuming too much sugar. Although natural, you’ll still want to keep an eye on this.
Losing weight doesn’t have to be as complicated as some make it out to be. It’s really all about erasing counter productive habits and adopting new ones that improve your health and life for the better. As it can be hard to make such adjustments, having the tools and gadgets like those described above can make the process a lot easier.
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This content is sponsored by Anne Davis.