Five Easy Tips for Healthy Weight Loss

By Carl Walker

If you want to lose weight, it isn’t enough to simply go on a diet – you have to make a change in your entire lifestyle. This is a difficult task, and many people do more harm to themselves than good as they pursue it. Here are five tips for healthy weight loss that will help you keep your eyes on the goal.

1. Slow and Steady is Better than Up and Down
It’s tempting to jump into a diet with both feet, ruthlessly slashing your favorite foods and promising yourself that you can really live on carrot sticks and celery for the rest of your life. But sooner or later, your body is going to rebel, and you’ll binge. Then you’ll feel bad. Then you’ll give up. It’s far better to change your eating habits slowly and see steady progress.

2. Be Careful to Get Enough Nutrients
Your body needs food. It needs carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and roughage. Be careful that when you cut your calories, you don’t cut necessary nutrition as well.

3. Water is Your Friend
Water removes toxins from your body, keeps you refreshed and energized, and helps keep you from feeling so hungry. Many cravings and hunger pangs are actually signs that your body is dehydrated. Drink plenty of water each day.

4. Don’t Overdo the Exercise
Exercise is a vital part of any healthy diet, but if you hurt yourself, you won’t be able to exercise efficiently. Listen to what your body is telling you. Push your boundaries gently, but don’t exercise yourself to the point of exhaustion or injury. Research your exercise plan to make sure that you are not exceeding the recommended number of times per week you should do various workouts.

5. Be Kind to Yourself
It’s easy for dieters to get angry at their bodies for being so slow, for weight loss being so difficult. Try to be patient with the time it takes to lose weight and with any relapses you might suffer. Remember that the weight didn’t go on overnight, and it’s not going to disappear overnight, either.

Stuck on your diet? Find out how to get off a weight loss plateau