5 Tips For Successful Weight Loss
5 Tips For Successful Weight Loss
Losing weight is not easy. Most people start out with a strong commitment to succeed only to give up after a week or two. At times we can do things that hinder our weight loss without even realizing it. Following are 5 ways you could be sabotaging yours.
Overestimating The Amount Of Calories Burned In A Workout
If you are using a calorie expenditure table to determine the number of calories burned when exercising, you are more than likely overestimating calories burned.
The majority of these tables are inaccurate by as much as twenty percent.
If you want an accurate picture of the calories you burned off during a workout investing in a high quality heart monitor would be a wise choice.
Not Lifting Weights
When developing an exercise plan for weight loss be sure to include both cardio and strength training. Strength training is vital because it builds and tones muscles. Having strong muscles will boost your metabolism and increase the amount of fat you burn.
If you are working out, eating healthier and still not losing weight add some strength training to your routine and more than likely you will see the scale gradually start to go down.
Excessive Drinking
Alcohol slows down your body's ability to burn fat. Instead of burning off food your body will first burn off the alcohol that you have consumed.
Alcohol also makes you more likely to snack because it desensitizes the part of our body that regulates hunger.
In addition to slowing down your bodys ability to burn fat, alcohol is packed with calories and has absolutely no nutritional value.
Skipping Breakfast
While skipping meals sounds like a great way to drop unwanted pounds, it can actually have the opposite effect.
Skipping meals can decrease your metabolism and cause your body to start storing food.
When you skip meals and allow yourself to become hungry, chances are you will reach for an unhealthy snack to fill the void
It is much better to eat six small meals daily. Doing this will keep your hunger satisfied and prevent snacking. The key to making this work is not exceeding your total daily calorie count for all meals combined.
Anticipating Immediate Results
Setting unattainable weight loss goals is one of the main reasons so many people do not achieve their weight loss goals. They turn on the tv and see that there favorite celebrity just lost 30 pounds in a month and that becomes the goal they set for themselves.
There is no magic pill for weight loss. Time and effort are the key ingredients in healthy long term weight loss. One to two pounds each week is considered a healthy amount of weight to lose.
Studies have shown that people who lose weight at a slow and steady pace have a higher long term success rate.
These five simple weight loss secrets can be the key to starting your weight loss program off on the right foot.
