I know a lot of people who are trying to find the right solutions for their weight and body image goals. It’s a hard task as everyone is different and has to figure out their own way. I’ve struggled quite a bit with my weight, food and body image. I thought I’d share a few tips that I’ve learned work for me on reducing and maintaining your weight.
1. Don’t deny yourself anything. Allow yourself to eat everything, just choose not to or in smaller proportions. Choosing not to eat something versus not allowing yourself to are two very different attitudes. If you change the conversation in your brain it will help you with self control. My sister likes to deny herself things until one day a week. This works for her, not for me because I end up binging.
2. Stop drinking soda. Point blank. I don’t care how addicted you are to it. Soda is directly linked to obesity! I could go on for hours about how bad it is for your bones, your skin, your stomach…
3. Cook your own food. If you cook your own food, you are in control of how much butter, sodium or oil goes in it. Also, you are eating with your eyes so chances of you overeating are slim.
4. If you have binged on something, stop feeling guilty about it all day. It’s over, done, eaten, devoured, savored. Now it’s time for damage control. How? Exercise and cutting back. I like to think of overeating like splurging. If you have splurged on an unreturnable item (shoes), your going to have to cut back on your expenses for a bit.
5. Drink. Water. Now drink some more. Did you just have a cup of coffee? You need to drink 3 glasses of water to recover from that. Water is a miracle liquid, it will flush out toxins, fill you up and help you lose weight.
6. Be careful about how many times you weigh yourself. I never weigh myself, ever. I haven’t for 3 years and probably never will. If weighing yourself gets you obsessive and doesn’t help you then don’t do it. Measure yourself with body fat testers, your clothing and how good you feel.
7. Do not eat in front of the TV, computer or standing up. Distracted eating is terrible for your health and disrupts you from engaging in your meal. Be cognoscente of each bite (chew 32 times, repeat) , all the wonderful flavors and how the meal is nourishing your body.
8. If you have a problem with junk food snacking, here are a few solutions. A. Eat high protein low carb meals, B. Get our of the kitchen or house. C. Chew gum D. Write a diary of what you are craving and why. E. Don’t carry cash (makes it easy to buy vending machine snacks).
9. If you are a super busy person, pack a healthy snack, that way when you get home you are not starving and can make better choices!
10. When exercising admire yourself in the mirror. Seriously. Some may call it narcissism, I call it self encouragement. Check out your muscles flexing and getting toned (if you can’t see them imagine what they would look like). It’s really motivating, I promise.
11. Eat complex carbohydrates but don’t make them the main event. Complex carbs are a good accompaniment. They are like backup dancers in Bollywood movies. You don’t really need them but they make they do make the song more enjoyable. Complex carbs keep you happy and satisfied. Complex carbs have more nutritional value and are healthier for you such as bulgar wheat, whole grain breads, oats, muesli and brown rice. Simple carbs are things like white bread which is really unhealthy.
12. Go for a walk after dinner. It will help you digest and lose weight.
13. Check yourself out. This is probably the hardest one since our world tells us that an anorexic and plastic body is attractive.
It isn’t, its disgusting and sad. Ladies, we know what real men find attractive so check yourself out. Admire your curves, your butt, your arms, the little feminine bulge of your stomach, your chin, your hair follicles.. whatever you can find to love on your body. Start admiring yourself everyday.
I hope these tips help you as much as they help me love my body and maintain my weight and a healthy body image!
