Losing weight is not easy and there can be many obstacles you need to overcome to be successful but don’t give up! You can shed those extra pounds and improve your overall health with a few practical tips.
When you first begin your new fitness and eating plan, take the time to identify what your biggest challenges will be.
Below are 14 tips that may help.
1- Check your hormone levels
Losing weight can be difficult if not impossible for many people because of hormonal imbalances. Before you get frustrated and give up on losing weight, make sure your hormones are at their optimal levels. Excess cortisol, a sluggish thyroid, low testosterone, low growth hormone, too much or too little estrogen or problems the with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system can cause weight gain.
The experts at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic can help you identify roadblocks that may be keeping you from losing weight such as:
- Hormonal imbalances
- Adrenal fatigue
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Autoimmune disease
- Chronic inflammation
- Thyroid issues
- Added Sugar: Contrary to popular belief, fat isn’t the first thing that will make you fat … it’s consuming too much sugar. Sugar can be hidden under names like corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, juice concentrate, maltodextrin, raw sugar and brown sugar. These sugars can often be hidden in things that sound like health foods, including fruit juice, granola bars, dressings and protein bars. What to do instead: Eliminate and replace all of these types of sugar with natural sweeteners like green stevia and raw honey, but have even both of these in moderation.
- Refined Grains: I know it may seem that “whole grains” like wheat bread are healthy, but most are far from helping your metabolism. Three of the main compounds in grains are gluten, starch and phytic acid, all of which can cause issues. Gluten can cause inflammation, starch turns into sugar quickly, and phytic acid binds to minerals, blocking some of their absorption. What to do instead: Replace your daily intake of grains with fruits and vegetables, or consume up to one piece daily of a sprouted grain bread or sourdough. If you don’t want to totally ditch grains, have sprouted and fermented grains instead, which contain fewer antinutrients and are more filling. When it comes to using flour, switch to almond or coconut flour — it’s the perfect flour for fat loss.
- Canola or Vegetable Oils: Canola oil or other vegetable oils are found in many processed foods that can slow down your fat loss. What to do instead: Replace all vegetable oils with beneficial coconut oil and grass-fed butter to promote more rapid fat loss.
2 – Remove processed foods from your diet
- Eliminate foods that contain sugar from your diet and replace your sweeteners with small amounts of honey or green stevia
- Replace grains with fruits and vegetables
- Replace all cooking oils with grass-fed butter
3 – Drink plenty of fluids
Drinking water will reduce bloating, feelings of hunger and overall weight. It can also help keep your metabolism running at its peak.
Drinking green tea, white tea or black tea can also reduce feelings of hunger, help reduce cravings and can help speed up your metabolism.
4 – If you are just beginning and exercise program be careful not to increase your caloric intake
When beginning a new workout program, it is easy to increase your caloric intake, which can actually cause you to gain weight. Working out can help you increase the number of calories burned but diet accounts for 80-85% of weight loss.
A 150-pound person can burn 110-120 calories per mile. If you run a total of 3 miles that is equivalent to a very small slice of pizza, or 1 ½ chicken thighs, or just 50 almonds (2 servings).
5 – Don’t eat fast. Take your time with each meal.
It takes approximately 20 minutes for your stomach to recognize it is full so chew slowly. This will help you reduce your total caloric intake and well help aid in digestion.
6 – Include plenty of fiber in your diet
You should be eating 25-35 grams of fiber every day from foods high in fiber not from supplements.
Foods high in fiber will help you feel fuller longer, reduce cravings, keep you regular and help balance your blood sugar.
7 – Keep a clean house
Don’t keep unhealthy snacks in your house. Keep your refrigerator and cupboard stocked with healthy foods and snacks such as fresh fruits and vegetables and raw nuts.
This helps you avoid giving in to your cravings. You will have to make the extra effort of leaving your house to go to the store or restaurant for that unhealthy snack you are craving.
8 – Eat more of your calories earlier in the day
Eat the bulk of your calories for breakfast and/or lunch. This will give you more time to burn calories, aids in digestion and improves sleep quality.
9 – Schedule shorter workouts throughout the day
If you find it difficult to schedule 30-45 minutes at a time for exercise, consider doing shorter workouts 2-3 times per day. Try a 10-15 minute cardio or HIT workout in the morning, a 10 minute brisk stroll at lunchtime and 10-20 minute strength training program in the evening.
10 – Keep your workouts interesting by adding variety
Vary your exercise routine. You will be more likely to stick with a daily exercise program if you change your routines. Try a HIT program, yoga, pilates, a brisk walk or run or weight training.
You can find new and interesting workout routines for free on Pinterest or YouTube.
Working out should be fun and something you look forward to. If you don’t like what you are doing try something else.
11 – Exercise with a group
Group activities help keep you motivated, offer support, are a great way to meet people with similar interests and help keep you accountable for working out at the same time every week.
12 – Ask for help from your friends and family
Let your family and friends know what your goals are and ask them to help you. It can be difficult to stick to a new exercise and eating plan when your friends are asking you to go to dinner or come over for drinks. If they know what you are doing, they can help support the new changes, by cooking healthier meals when they invite you over, or maybe they will ask you to go to the movies instead of out to dinner.
13 – Use an online trainer or fitness tracker to keep you accountable
14 – Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night
- Poor quality or lack of sleep is linked to obesity and chronic disease such as diabetes.
- Sleep is necessary to recover from workouts and build muscle.
- Poor sleep quality can lead to fatigue and depression making it difficult to stay motivated to workout.
About the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic
With treatment centers in Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama, The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic is the most experienced Age Management Clinic in Latin America.
Our focus is your health and vitality. By optimizing hormone levels, replacing nutrient deficiencies through natural methods and providing education on disease prevention and wellness we can help you optimize your health; decreasing body fat, increasing muscle mass and muscle tone, improving insulin and hormone levels naturally, increasing energy levels and sexual vitality and improving mental acuity.
Services at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic
- Bio-identical hormone replacement for men and women
- Human growth hormone
- Platelet-rich plasma therapy
- P-Shot PRP Procedure for men
- Facial rejuvenation
- Chelation therapy
- Weight loss and nutritional counseling
Contact us today at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic to learn more about our services.