Habit and routine are powerful forces that affect motivation and action. The problem is that old habits die hard, and when a habit is negative it means more work and effort to root it out. Once the excitement and motivation wears away in diet programs, people start to go back to old eating habits and the way their environment has conditioned them to operate.
Understand How to Lose Weight Permanently
The first step in losing weight is to understand the characteristics of habit. It usually takes about three to four weeks for a person to form a new habit and make it stick. Renowned chemist, Dr. Rob Gilbert said it best when he said, “First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you.”
Staying motivated and giving into temptation is the hardest part in replacing a bad habit, but once a person passes the 21-day mark it will become easier; the only way to find out is by trying it out and not skipping any days. Before following any weight-loss tips, be strategic and only follow the ones that are motivating and doable in the long run.
Tips to Keep Pounds Off
- Don’t sit still.
Use every opportunity to shake and shed. At work don’t just sit at the desk and move the mouse. Engage stomach muscles, increase metabolism and form tighter abs with breathing exercises. Here’s one: Sit up straight and exhale with quick, short breaths using the stomach muscles and as if blowing out a magic candle. Do a few sets of 20 throughout the day to work out the abdominals. This can be done in the car or while watching TV.
At home when the phone rings, don’t just walk to get the phone but dash. During commercials, practice jumping jacks, push ups or favorite dance moves. Be creative every moment and try to burn as many calories as possible because every movement adds up even though it might not feel like it at the time.
- Drink water throughout the day.
Essential to the body, water acts as an appetite suppressant, and many times people confuse thirst for hunger. Water flushes out toxins, keeping the skin looking young and healthy. The color of urine should be close to clear and not dark or muddy. Signs of dehydration include headaches and dry skin.
- Vary the workouts.
Whether working out at home or taking classes, vary the workouts to add excitement and maintain motivation. Instead of just having one workout DVD, keep a collection of three or four so that exercises don’t get boring and so that the body is constantly getting challenged.
- Change food-shopping habits.
It’s important to always check nutrition facts labels when going to the market. Seeing the fat content will discourage a person from buying that cheesecake. First check the saturated fat percentage; aim for lower than 10 percent. Then look at the sodium and sugar content and choose snacks with the fewest amounts. Lastly, look at the ingredients. Seven or fewer is ideal since more ingredients mean more chemicals. TheDailyPlate.com is a useful Web site that tracks the nutrition content of any food item.
One can’t lose weight permanently with fad dieting or setting goals that are too idealistic. Instead, make it part of a lifestyle habit which is the best way to keep the pounds off long term.
Resources:
Health.com
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