Want To Shed A Few Pounds? 5 Tips To Get You Started

Putting on extra weight happens sometimes. So, the first thing I’d like to say is that if you’ve got some extra padding, go easy on yourself. I highly recommend self-love and self-care as you go about your weight loss journey.

If you are carrying more weight around than you’d like, good news is that losing weight is possible with time, effort, and more than likely – lifestyle changes.

Here are 5 natural and easy tips to help you shed the pounds you desire:

1.      Eat Healthier Foods

It’s not like this is new information. We all know that the kind of food we eat matters when it comes to weight gain and weight loss. Making a solid commitment to eating healthier foods is your first step toward shedding pounds.

Start by cutting out some of the junk food.  Just don’t buy it. If it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it. Also, begin to count calories, eat smaller meals, and eat snacks that are healthier for your body. There are actually some really tasty meals and snacks that don’t include tons of fat and sugar.

Eat more fruit and vegetables. Make friends with the produce aisle at the grocery store and the farmer’s market. You can also start growing some of your own food, which can be quite a rewarding project. Make it a family endeavor!

There are many things you can eat that will help you on your journey to lose weight. Grab a cookbook with healthy recipes and get started!

How Many Calories?

Calories matter, especially when you’re trying to drop weight. Good news is that you can head over to a Calorie Calculator, input your height, weight, and age, and it’ll tell you how many calories you need daily to maintain, increase, or decrease your weight.

In your case, it will tell you how many calories you should aim for daily if you want to lose around two pounds per week.  There are plenty of mobile phone apps you can download that will help you keep track of daily calories.

2.       Commit To Exercise

The second tip is to commit to a life of exercise. A healthy diet can help you lose weight, but to keep that weight off, it helps to have an exercise plan and be dedicated to follow it.

One of the ways I love to exercise is by walking. If you simply don’t like to exercise, walking may be a great way for you to exercise, but not necessarily feel like you are. Walking can actually burn a lot of calories and definitely help you lose weight if combined with your healthy diet.

There Are plenty of other ways to exercise as well. You could go to a fitness center, join a fitness class, go jogging, biking, swimming, do yoga, hiking, etc. maybe you can try something new to see if you like it. Commit to exercising three to five times a week. It will not only help you stay in shape, but it can contribute to you shutting those pounds as well.

3.      Discipline Yourself

As we all know, it's easy to want something. We may even go after it for a week or two, but then let the ball drop. We get tired or bored or just give up.

In order to experienced weight loss, it's going to take a commitment and a good dose of self-discipline. Adopting a healthy diet and exercising regularly are two great ways to foster weight loss. But you must actually be committed and follow through.

It might help you out to contemplate and understand why you want to lose the weight. If you know why you want to lose the weight, it can help you feel more motivated to keep going even when you don't feel like it.

For example, let's say you want to lose weight because you feel better about yourself when you're a particular size. So, your why would be that you would like to enjoy higher self-esteem. Keep this in mind as you work toward shedding that extra weight. You might even want to write your “why” reason down and keep it handy so you can see it frequently.

Accomplishing any goal takes some discipline and a commitment, so these are two values that you want to be friend now and throughout life.

4.      Welcome A Personal Trainer

Sometimes we just need a little support when trying to accomplish a goal.  If you tend to need that extra accountability and motivation, hire a personal trainer. You will be able to share your goals and ideas with your personal trainer and they will be able to help you meet them. You can join up and create a diet plan, exercise plan, and your trainer can encourage and motivate you along your journey.

Personal trainers have the education and tools you need. You are met with constant encouragement from someone who understands your goals and has the tools necessary for you to succeed. If you’ve got the money, there are trainers out there who would love to assist you. Look at it this way. You get to help them by giving them business, and they get to help you by doing what they love and are gifted in.

It’s a win-win.

5.      Believe You Can

Half the battle of achieving any goal is to believe that you can indeed accomplish it.  If the amount of weight you want to lose feels overwhelming, break it up into milestones.  Then, move forward believing that you can do it!

You can even reward yourself when you reach a milestone.  While it may be tempting to treat yourself to sweets or fatty foods, maybe try something that won’t include so many calories.  Perhaps a massage, mini vacation, or go eat at your favorite restaurant and order on the healthy side.

Lastly, do your best to enjoy your weight loss journey. Whether it takes you a few months, a year, or longer, give yourself pats on the back for the effort. It’s likely not going to be a linear path. Rather, it may be more like a zig-zagging path with ups and downs.

And that’s alright! Walk your individual path and practice self-love and self-care all along the way.

Photo by Jannis Brandt on Unsplash