It can be very confusing for someone to manage their weight with all the fad diets, weight loss gimmicks, and nutrition misinformation out there. So I’m going to tell you my top 5 recommendations that you should always follow that will make weight management easier. No tricks or miracle supplements here…just lifestyle habits that yield permanent results!
“I want to lose weight by eating nothing but moon pies, which have significantly less gravity than earthier foods such as fruits and vegetables.” – Jarod Kintz, I Want
Tip #1
Portion Control– Our bodies require only so many calories and macronutrients at any given time. Everything from gender, activity level, exercise history, muscle mass, and genetic predispositions (just to name a few) dictate one’s daily caloric needs. The easiest way to properly portion your meals is to divide your total needed daily calories evenly across all your meals.
For example, if you need to consume less than 1,500 calories/day to lose weight and you eat 5 meals per day then each of your meals should be no more than 300 calories each. This will not only ensure that you stay under your target calories for the day, but also that your body is burning each meal for fuel and not sending excess calories to fat cells.
Tip # 2
Use MyFitness Pal- The bottom line for losing weight is burning more calories than you consume each day. In order to do this you must keep a food log to track how many calories you’re consuming. There’s a great weight loss tool that I recommend to all my clients called MyFitnessPal. Not only does it roughly calculate your daily calorie needs for you, but it also has an electronic food database with over 2,000,000 food items that you can search and log in your daily diary. By recording everything you eat and drink, you can make sure you stay under your allotted calories for the day and start losing the weight!
Tip #3
Follow the MyPlate Guide-MyPlate was designed by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) to help average Americans manage their weight. The MyPlate nutritional guide helps you to properly balance your calories, make better food choices and develop healthier eating habits. It’s very easy to follow and ensures that you eat a well-balanced diet that satisfies the USDA’s recommendations.
Tip #4
Drink Plenty of Water- The quickest way to add unwanted calories to your daily intake is by drinking sugary, carbonated beverages. Ditch the sodas and all other flavored beverages and replace them with plain water. A general rule of thumb is to drink at least 8 large glasses of water per day, but I recommend at least 1 gallon per day.
Tip #5
Get Plenty of Physical Activity- Exercise not only burns immediate calories, but increases your overall metabolism and caloric needs for the rest of the day. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) recommends that American adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week and 2 or more days of strength training every week. My recommendation is to workout more days/week than not, so a minimum of 4 days/week for at least 60 minutes each.
Forget the fads and one trick fixes. The only way to truly manage your weight is to religiously practice healthy lifestyle habits like the ones mentioned above. You’ll see permanent results, feel good, and know that you’ve earned it!
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