Common Sense Weight Loss Tips

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We all know that it can be difficult to lose – and keep off – excess weight.  However, by following a few simple guidelines, you can shed those unwanted pounds and become leaner, more fit, and have more energy.

Here are 10 easy, common sense weight loss tips.

Don’t Skip Meals

This may come as somewhat of a surprise tip.  After all, less meals means less calories, which means less weight, right?  Wrong.  Skipping meals actually makes you more hungry in the long run, leading to more eating of bigger meals later in the day.  Obviously, this leads to a higher caloric intake.  So instead of skipping meals….

Eat More Meals

Yes, you read that right.  Eat more meals.  Let me explain: instead of eating three large meals a day, try eating 5-6 small meals.  You will eat more often and feel less hungry throughout the day.  Also, eating more frequent but smaller meals helps keep your calorie intake and blood sugar more balanced.  This helps increase your metabolism, which leads to more calorie burn.

Eat At Least 5 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Every Day

This is not nearly as hard as it sounds.  Many popular, well-known vegetable drinks on the market today contain 1-2 servings in one can alone.  Drink two cans of this popular vegetable drink (also available in a delicious fruit fusion) and have a fresh side veggie or fruit salad with dinner, and there are your five daily servings right there.  (Note: if you go with the liquid “fruit fusion” instead of the popular vegetable drink, make sure that it contains no artificial sweeteners, as too much sugar defeats the whole purpose.)

Keep a Close Eye on the Portion Sizes

This requires constant vigilance at first, but gets easier once it becomes a habit. (And by the way, good habits are just as easy to form as bad habits – they’re just not as fun!)

But back to the point: as an example, the USDA recommended serving size for one pasta dish is ½ cup.  But most restaurants serve a whopping 2-3 cups of pasta.  This is 4-6 times the recommended portion!

When dining in, use your measuring cups to get the correct portions.  If you don’t already own one, purchase an inexpensive diet scale and weigh your meat portions.

When dining out, have a general idea of what you want before choosing the restaurant, and order accordingly.  Many restaurants offer reduced portions.  Even if you go to a restaurant that does not offer smaller portions, you can offer to share an entrée with a friend who is also dieting.  Also, funny as it may sound, consider ordering from the kid’s menu to get a smaller but tasty portion.  Most restaurants will gladly accommodate you.

Finally,

Exercise

You don’t have to join an expensive gym or order pricey equipment from a TV infomercial.  You can get plenty of exercise for free.  And it doesn’t take as much time as you may think.

For example, at work, take the stairs instead of the elevator.  (If you work on the 35^th floor of a skyscraper, you can still take the stairs to the 5^th floor, then ride the elevator the rest of the way.)  Remember those canned fruit and vegetable juices we discussed earlier?  Instead of eating a big meal on your lunch break, take a brisk walk around the block and then “drink your lunch”.  On your days off, pop a favorite song in your iPod or Walkman and take a quick stroll around the neighborhood.  Better yet, do some of your weekend errands – post office, drug store, etc. – on foot instead of in the car.  (This has the added bonus of saving gas, too.)

In summary, following these simple but effective tips will help you lose weight and save money.

And can’t we all benefit from that?

Would you reach your ideal weight if you had a personal trainer helping you and it was ALL PAID for by someone else?