5 General Tips on Losing Weight

Key elements to watch out on a daily basis when wanting to lose weight

You’ve decided you want to lose weight: now what? The key point here is: how bad do you really want to lose weight?

If you stick to your plans and make that extra effort every day, you will achieve your goals. Here are some long-term, healthy tips that can get you into the mind-set of losing weight with almost any type of diet (or even without following a specific diet plan):

1. Go grocery shopping with a full stomach: you’ll be surprised how much that makes a difference to what you find in your fridge the next day. Make sure half of what you get is either a fruit or a vegetable. 

2. Plan your meals: when you don’t plan your meals, you end up eating the quickest thing you find because you are hungry and cannot be bothered to choose. Instead of going to starvation mode or buying that ugly-looking sandwich, plan ahead. If you can’t be bothered to plan every single day what you are going to eat the day after then simply do it every week right after your weekly food shopping.

3. Remember to drink: our bodies run on water. Sometimes when you feel hungry you might just be thirsty. Also, have a full glass of water before any meal: it will make you feel full earlier. Green tea is also good as it contains polyphenols that can help burn fat (although the thermogenic impact is modest). Don’t go too mad on the green tea as it contains caffeine, so just a couple of cups a day is enough.

4. Schedule a physical activity: whether it’s dancing, running or going to the gym, find the activity that suits you best, add it to your weekly plans and stick to it.

5. Don’t obsess: don’t feel guilty when you are out with friends and you have a bit more food than what you wanted. Don’t weigh yourself too often: once a week is enough. Set out achievable goals. Every time you feel like you haven’t done enough, instead of feeling frustrated do something about it the next day.

For even more tricks, check out the Reader’s Digest 20 weight-loss tips