 Little changes = big weight loss
How are you doing in your effort to create a healthy lifestyle? If you are struggling, don't give up. Review what is not working and make changes.
Are you hungry a lot of the time? Foods that fill you up and keep you full longer are lean proteins (chicken, fish, cottage cheese, eggs) and whole grains (100% whole wheat bread, brown rice). Try to incorporate some of each of these into each meal.
Are you not losing weight, or not losing as much as you'd like? Remember, a healthy rate of loss is between one-half and two pounds per week. If you have less to lose, you will lose more slowly. For example, if you are looking to lose 25 pounds or less, you might trend more toward the one-half pound per week rate.
Are you incorporating both healthy eating and exercise? Often, people are comfortable with only doing one or the other. To achieve the best results, you need to eat less and move more. The American Dietetic Association recommends 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day for weight loss. As for exercise, one-half hour, three days per week, is a good place to start. For best results, you should be incorporating activity four to five days per week.
How sure are you about the amount of food you are eating every day? Do you weigh and measure? Do you tend to have a lot of bites and tastes of things? All of these things add up. Also, if you are not preparing most of your food yourself, it can be difficult to accurately count the calories. Try taking your lunch to work most days, or eating breakfast at home. Make meal plans so that you don't have to eat dinner out as often.
Remember, small changes, bit by bit, over time, add up to big results.
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