You’ve started to reduce how many calories you’re consuming, and you’re actively trying to increase how many calories you’re burning. But you still don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere with your diet.
Sound familiar?
That’s because so many quick-fix diets, faddy eating regimes, and lose-weight-quick programs just don’t offer you the benefits they say they’re going to. Instead, if you’re trying to lose a few pounds, you might want to try some natural, easy-to-follow tips that’ll help you shift your weight without too much work.
Below, we’ve uncovered some fantastic things you can introduce into your daily routine:
Start Keeping a Food Diary
A lot of healthy-eating programs will tell you to count calories, but there’s nothing stopping you from doing this yourself. In fact, by keeping a diary of the foods and drinks you’re consuming you’ll become more aware of what you’re eating.
Once you’ve got a full week behind you, start to look where you’re consuming more calories. Are you having too many sugary drinks during the day? Is that salad dressing topping up your daily calorie intake? And do you really need to have that sauce with that meal?
By taking some time to evaluate your calorie consumption you’ll discover the areas of your diet where you can make simple cuts in order to shed a few pounds.
Increase Your Calorie Count
If after doing this food diary you feel as though you’re already eating within your guided daily allowance, add 10% to the number of calories you’re consuming every day. If you aren’t losing weight, this new figure might be more accurate and should help you actively reduce how much you’re eating and drinking throughout the day.
Change Your Restaurant Order
Eating out a lot? Many of us find this an enjoyable pastime, but when you’re trying to lose weight, dining out at restaurants or ordering a takeout could be the difference between you losing or maintaining your weight.
But, instead of removing something you enjoy from your life, make a conscious decision to order something healthy. Or, you could just reduce the number of times you eat out in a week. Swapping one evening meal a week for a healthy grilled chicken salad could make a whole lot of difference!
Stop Buying Yourself Snacks
When there’s temptation right in front of you, it can be hard to resist it. That’s why you need to completely remove all of these temptations from your home. So, the next time you go to the grocery store, avoid the snack aisle completely, making sure there are no salty or sugary goods in your shopping.
That way, when you get cravings for a snack you’ll be far more unlikely to give in because you’ll have to venture all the way to a store to get one.
Educate Yourself on Healthy Foods
By teaching yourself what the absolute best foods for weight loss are, you’ll become savvier in your food choices. Having a list of staple foods that are beneficial to your weight-loss program will enable you to start introducing these into your diet. Plus, it’ll also help you become more creative with your cooking, so you can create tasty meals that aren’t loaded full of calories.
Switch to Water
According to recent statistics, the average American adult is consuming 145 calories worth of sugary drinks per day. That’s a lot, and a lot of wasted calories when there are plenty of drinks you can choose that aren’t full of sugar.
So, instead of opting for soda throughout the day, switch your drink to water. It might not sound as exciting, but there are a number of benefits you can get from drinking water every day. Plus, water helps keep you feeling fuller for longer, which will mean you’re less likely to snack, too!
Find a Weight-Loss Buddy
One of the biggest challenges you face when you’re trying to lose weight is motivation. Who cares if you eat a donut after your meal?
By finding someone who wants to lose weight too, you can encourage each other not to eat that extra donut and to head to the gym to do some exercise instead. It means you’re less likely to fall off the bandwagon or pull out of a fitness class. Knowing someone’s relying on you will make you more driven to succeed.
By implementing some or all of these things into your daily routine you’ll be more likely to achieve your dream weight.
Author Bio: Daniel Hopkins likes to look after himself mentally and physically. He shares his tips for eating right on a selection of health/wellness and lifestyle blogs.
