Lose Weight The Healthy Way: Part 2

Hey lovely's!

Most of you hopefully saw my "part one" of things I stick by that helps me lose weight and maintain my health, here are a couple more that I keep in mind! I never thought I could stay in shape without always depriving myself of what I really want, but now I know I can! Isn't there always that one friend that eats loads and stays slim? Well that will be you soon!

 The biggest change I have made is eating more-in fact around double what I was!! I am never hungry and have gone down over 2 dress sizes. It is all about what you are eating. This is why focusing on health as seen in part one is what I feel should be the ultimate motivator. A lot of it is mental and so once you do this, you won’t have any issues I can almost guarantee!

Get into a routine and remember everything in moderation!

 Some people like small meals regularly whilst others like the classic 3 meals. Whatever you prefer, success is much more likely once you establish a routine. As well as this do not listen to the voice in your head telling you to binge tonight because you will diet tomorrow. Once you have binged it is hard to come down to a drastic change and so has to be done gradually. For this I would recommend not binging but instead let yourself  and body have what it desires but in moderation!

 Oh, and don’t eat at bedtime! Many of us will try having a small dinner but it may not be satisfactory to our requirements and we end up munching bad foods later on! Don’t kid yourself just have a bigger portion at tea time and reduce the change of snacking at bed time where there is little chance for the energy from your food to be burned. Personally I tend to devour whatever is on my plate, so a good way to avoid over eating is to start with a small portion, eat slowly and then go back for more IF you are still hungry, wait about 10 minutes before going for seconds.

Exercise

 This is one of my main loves in life. Whatever the situation if I am feeling down or bored or just a little lethargic nothing can beat the feeling that comes after a fantastic workout. I admit it takes time to feel this way and many of us start out with a love/hate attitude towards it. It makes us sweaty and sore yet we feel and look great with persistence. If you can overcome this initial feeling it really is the most enjoyable pastime.

For weight loss I have to say that running, for me beats them all! It is hard because to run you need to be fairly fit and so it is important to gradually build your way up to being able to run for long periods of time, rather than attempting, failing and not wanting to try again. The way I did this was a warm up walk for 10 minutes or so then jog for 3 minutes, walk for 5 etc. etc. Eventually you build on this to pick up the pace and stamina and in as little as a week can see a drastic difference to your fitness. Personally it works to slim my thighs, hips, back and tummy in the way that other cardio exercises don’t.  Since we are on the topic of diet I won't be mentioning the endless lists of benefits that exercise has on the cardio vascular system and inner health but I will definitely be mentioning this in the next little while!!

keep healthy snacks for cravings 

For a successful lifestyle change and a healthy weight it is important to make our goals achievable so it’s just unrealistic to cut out a huge amount of food groups and treats. However, using a step wise approach we can reduce out portion size and avoid foods high in saturates and unnatural sugar. For this I definitely think a healthy alternative to treats is required day to day. While I was being fairly strict with myself I used fruit with all its sweetness, and it really did seem to rid me of my constant chocolate craving, for me the best fruits for this are apples and grapes but it really is a personal preference. This not only can really help your cravings but also give you many nutrients and help towards your 5 a day.

If you prefer savoury, how about some carrot sticks, pepper or perhaps a Rivita with low fat cream cheese? Mmm

Please remember not to let this consume the mind, the less you think about it, the less anxious you will be, the less likely you are to be constantly thinking about food and therefore will tend to be more successful. Educate yourself slowly you will see the amazing consequences! I found this site which just emphasizes these points!

If you have any questions or worries or need any help at all please comment or email! I will be doing part 3 very soon, as well as benefits of fish oils on the body, and another post on keeping your mind nice and healthy!

Take care

Lose weight the healthy way: part 1

Center your attention on health.  

Not enough of us seeking to lose a few pounds do this; the main focus is primarily what the scales tell you in the morning and how much further those “one-size-too small” motivational jeans fit, agreed? This is a recipe for disaster when it comes to maintaining the results you are looking for. Not only this but if you concentrate on health you will feel more comfortable, energetic and prevent those nasty colds and bugs, and superficially skin, hair and nails will noticeably improve all going hand in hand with (hopefully) permanent weight loss.

 Water, water and more water- I cannot stress enough how good/essential water is when it comes to keeping healthy and losing weight! The reasons for this are endless:

 1)to replenish the water lost naturally during any kind of weight loss,

2) to counteract dehydration which slows the fat burning process,

3) for easier digestion, 

4)water makes you more alert, this is because dehydration can cause a reduction in blood volume and therefore less oxygen reaching the muscles causing fatigue,

5) water helps the joints which is a benefit when combined with exercise, 

6)benefits for the skin, hair and nails, 

7)water before eating can often curb hunger. I could go on! I usually aim for between 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day, or more if working out, but my tip would be to always have a water bottle with you.
If you don't enjoy the taste of water, why not try it with fruit?

Stop starving yourself

This is a piece of advice I wish I’d listened to before now! Starving yourself is one of the worst things you could do and comes with horrible consequences to your body with not a lot of good to show at the end of it. Starving yourself is counterproductive and can lead to heart problems, anemia and therefore severe fatigue, stomach problems, damage to your metabolism and hair and bone loss.

I had numerous people telling me this before but didn't want to believe it until i started learning about Leptin. Leptin is a hormone that mediates long-term regulation of energy balance in the body. It suppresses food intake and thereby induces weight loss. It is linked closely to metabolism and so if Leptin levels fall, in theory, so will your metablism. When you diet and starve your body leptin which is sometimes refered to a the satiety hormone will also reduce and therfore so will your metabolism, and instead of losing weight, after the initial adjustment period you will gain weight. 

There are many foods that can help towards increasing leptin levels or make the body more sensitive to the leptin signals. Do Your research, eat the right number of calories, but the right calories. (fruit and veg are a good starting point)

  I hope these help follow for more!

start your Health journey today!