Healthy Way to Weight loss

Haven’t we all at some point or the other thought of losing that extra bit of fat on our body or those few pounds to shed? Well, it’s good to know that we are not alone. According to a recent study, there are at least 62% of people between the age group of 20-74 years who are overweight. People try different things like diet pills, diet programs even diet food in order to lose their body weight. One of my friend went through different ways I described earlier to lose weight but nothing seemed to make her happy about her body.

After having our first baby when I wanted to lose some of the extra fat that I had put on during my pregnancy, I decided to go through various articles and resources before deciding on the best way to lose weight. And guess what? I came across numerous websites giving me information about natural way to reduce weight with their products, yet nowhere it was mentioned that weight loss is not a temporary phase. Yes, you heard me right. Let’s look at it rationally. Why is it that the generation before us, didn’t suffer from obesity as much as we do? And the generation before them had even lesser number of people suffering from obesity. The answer surprisingly is simple. Today, we have changed our lifestyle completely compared to all those people in previous generations. We use car even for the shortest distance, the importance of active lifestyle is somewhat faded and we eat whatever we find easily available when we are hungry and even when we are not hungry.

I decided to write down my own activities about ten years ago as that’s when I was at my best, physically. And then I compared those activities with what I do today. I did the same with my food intake too and I found some astonishing results. I was not only doing less physical activities now but also eating almost double the amount I ate when I was in my twenties (which is supposed to be the prime time when you can get away with eating a bit more as you tend to lead a very active lifestyle) That’s when it really hit me. It’s not just about losing weight. It’s about changing your attitude toward life, your health and your body. It’s about changing your lifestyle. Now I know that this sounds all very difficult and I am not going to claim like those numerous websites that promote weight loss, that it’s very easy.

No, the reality is that it’s not going to be very easy. It is going to take time and lots of efforts on your parts. But it is also going to help you become healthy and once you start doing it, things will become somewhat easier. But be aware, there will be lots of temptations and even days when you don’t feel like following it through. Just remember one thing, what you are doing is for yourself and your own body. Think of it this way, doesn’t it hurt when we have to take our baby for the shots and she cries with the shock of the niddle, yet we take them next time, why? Because we know it’s for their own good. It’s going to help them fight against any future ailments. Well, this is the same.

So here is what you need to do. Keep a food diary and write down what you eat. At times it also helps to put the food you eat on a table together and have a look. Yes, it’s true. We might not even believe that we eat so much food in a day. Also keep some positive thoughts written in every room. I like to keep some one liners like “Healthy living will mean better quality of life for me and my family” or “The way you look is the way you eat” or the likes. You can make up your own one liners to give you that extra push. Once you have determined what you need to change then it’s time for the real change. Start with small changes. If you make all the changes in one go, chances are you won’t stick to any of them.

I started with adding 15 minutes of exercises and some green vegetables to my food every day. Now this for me was a major step as I didn’t do much exercise nor I liked any green vegetables. But once I changed my habits (it took me about a month to get used to it), I realized that in two months I had lost about 6lbs. Then once I was used to these two changes, the next month I decided to drink a glass of water before I started my lunch or dinner and in total at least 8 glasses of water every day. (Drinking this amount of water helps to flush out any impurities in your body) This took another two months for me to get used to. And I lost another 5lbs in those two months. By the end of six months I was used to these changes I had made. I even started going to some of the local shops without my car. The possibilities are endless. You can do what suits you and your lifestyle better.

It’s been a year since I started this change and I have now somewhat attained my goal of weight loss. I say somewhat because now I need to make sure that I do not go back to my old habits and start putting on the weight again. So everyone out there who like me are looking to lose weight and keep it off, remember few key points:

Weight loss is not a temporary phase but a lifestyle change,

You can start from small changes instead of big ones in one go,

Any weight loss programmer has to have two elements for it to succeed, exercises and healthy eating habits,

Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day is essential,

When you go out to eat, chose at least one dish which is healthy,

Reduce the amount of sugar and oil you have in your food,

Introducing salads to your food is a good way to start,

Keep positive one liners around you to motivate and stay positive, it will get easier.

I wish you all the success in your quest to better life and healthier lifestyle.