Losing weight is not always a matter of how much you can lift, how little you can eat or how far you can run. More often than not, it involves looking at life and yourself with different eyes. Let us journey together and explore these 3 smart, yet simple lifestyle changes to lose weight.
Lifestyle changes to lose weight – Rule number 1
Let go of the all-or-nothing approach
When I “gave up” weight loss ,as I knew it – which meant extreme 1000-1200 calories per day plus one hour and a half daily exercise, I never wanted to fully go back to the unhealthy lifestyle I had before. I used to constantly eat too much, I always felt heavy, bloated and unable to move around easily so some things stuck to me.
I was still drinking enough water, I was eating vegetables with my main dish, also fruit in between meals and I walked! Anywhere. Anytime.
Not even realising it, in a few months I kept getting compliments from friends and family telling me how good I looked and how much weight I’ve lost – all while I was eating delicious food.
That’s when it hit me, I have let go of the all-or-nothing approach.
There’s a reason why diets don’t work, and we all know that putting this kind of pressure on your mind and body may work for a short period of time, but long-term it will only exhaust you and steal away your appetite for life itself.
What you can do instead is first accept the fact that you won’t be perfect at it and second, take small steps towards a healthy lifestyle. For example :
“In the first month I will drink more water”
“In the second month I will replace KFC with a warm homemade meal”.
Week after week, month after month, try to make smart lifestyle changes to lose weight, but also lead a healthier life.
Lifestyle changes to lose weight – Rule number 2
Identify as a healthy eater
No diet is the best diet! It is essential to enjoy the food you’re eating because that alone will make it an easier and more sustainable ride. After all, abs are made in the kitchen.
Research shows that from the moment you start identifying as a “healthy eater” you are prone to making the right decisions. In a 2015 study, Dr Amanda M. Brouwer from Winona State University and Dr Katie Mosak from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee concluded that people are more likely to behave in ways that are congruent with their identity.
So just by using this little trick and telling yourself “I don’t normally eat sweets” you are identifying as a person who doesn’t eat sweets and that alone will limit your unhealthy behaviour.
Now, that doesn’t mean you will go from eating fast food to eating salads all day – and that it is alright. You don’t have to eat salads all day in order to be healthy. Healthy eating is all about diversity and eating real, homemade food that will provide your body with the nutrients it requires in order for it to function according to your desire.
So start slow, but start steady.
Lifestyle changes to lose weight – Rule number 3
Start slow
I can’t stress this enough. Most of the times when we give up trying or feel like we have failed it is because we started with unreasonable expectations.
When I first stepped in a gym I saw people who were going at it with all they got: shredded people lifting more than my weight and fit, lean people running for half an hour straight. I still remember how intimidating that was, I still remember my first thought:
“I’m never going to catch up to them”
I forced myself to try anyways and failed miserably because I would exhaust myself for a few days and then give up and find excuses. Well, surprise! you don’t have to catch up with anyone, this is not a race and the people you see doing all those things started somewhere too. What you can do instead is follow your own pace and set smart objectives.
While setting goals is important, setting reasonable goals is more important because they are the ones that will get you to where you want to be. Plus, you can make it easier on yourself by planning beforehand so that when you eventually get to the gym you’ll know exactly what to do.
Author’s note
Dear reader, the difference between your body and your dream body is decided by time and time alone (what you do with it, of course). Try healthier because you love your body, not because you hate it. Now, having the knowledge above and healthy habits you can start making smart lifestyle changes to lose weight.
If you enjoyed this article and would be interested in some healthy, low-calorie, but highly nutritional recipes, we warmly recommend you browse over our Mediterranean Salmon with Bulgur recipe.
Also, feel free to use the comment section bellow if you have any questions.
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