Sunday, April 19, 2015

How To Lose Weight with a Healthy Weight Loss Plan

Most people fail at losing weight because they don't have a healthy weight loss plan. They just jump into the "quick fix" way of thinking but only end up getting scammed by bogus diet pills, slowing down their metabolisms (making it even harder to lose weight) and destroying their hope and confidence in themselves. Don't let this happen to you. The only way to lose weight permanently and forever is to follow a healthy weight loss plan step-by-step. When you have a healthy weight loss plan, you know exactly where you are going and exactly what to expect at each stage. It's just like going on an adventure and following a map to guide you.
Here are the steps you should take to follow your healthy weight loss plan and get you where you want to go - a lifetime of health in a fit, lean body.
  1. Eat healthy food throughout the day. There are lots of diets out there that will tell you to cut out all the foods you currently love, but that will only leave you feeling deprived and like you're "missing out." But if you're following a healthy weight loss plan, it's not about taking away... it's about ADDING health into your life. So start eating healthy, natural foods in 6 small meals a day. You're going to be eating so many vegetables, and lean sources of protein and slow-burning carbs throughout the day that you will never be hungry. This will also skyrocket your energy and serotonin levels (those feel-good hormones that your body produces naturally with the right nutrition). 
    You'll notice that you'll easily cut down on all the junk food you're eating because your energy levels will be up (so you won't need a sugar "rush" to get you going) and you will be feeling great from all the vitamins and nutrients pulsing through your body (so you won't be using food to lift your mood). This first step in your healthy weight loss plan is essential and will set you up for all the other steps that follow.
  2. Experiment and figure out what activities are fun for YOUR body. If you've ever tried to stick to an exercise plan, but gave up because it was too hard and painful, and then blamed yourself for having no "willpower," then you should know this: It was not YOU, it was the exercises you were trying to force yourself to do. See, in a healthy weight loss plan there is no forcing. When you discover the activity that is a JOY for your body, you will NOT feel like you're "working out." It will feel like "funning out" because your body loves it so much.
    If you don't like going to the gym and running on those machines - don't do it! Be creative. Be adventurous. This step in your healthy weight loss plan is all about experimenting and discovery. What feels good to your body? Take some dance classes, try a yoga or Pilates class, join a team sport...there are so many different ways for your body to get moving. And your body WANTS to move. When you find that activity that you LOVE, then you will look forward to the next time you get to do it because it will be so fun. 
  3. Learn how to relax and de-stress. This is such an important step in a healthy weight loss plan, but most people who want to lose weight never do it. They feel like relaxing time is "wasting time" because losing weight is all about working hard, right? Wrong. If you're body and mind are stressed out all the time, then you release all these stress chemicals that make your body store fat. In order to lose weight, it is absolutely essential that you learn how to release and reset this stress mechanism inside of you. And conscious relaxation is the best way to do it. Learn meditation and breathing techniques, and practice yoga. This will calm your body and your mind. And when your body and mind are calm, you get in touch with that "deeper" part of yourself. And the more time you spend connecting to this calm, loving, and peaceful place inside of you, the more you will love and appreciate yourself just as you are. And do you see how the more you love yourself, the easier it will be to stick to your healthy weight loss plan?
  4. Make this healthy weight loss plan a part of your life. Following a healthy weight loss plan isn't just about following a 30-day program and then quitting. A healthy weight loss plan is something you will want to do for the rest of your life. When you're
    eating all this healthy food, being active, and releasing your stress, you are going to feel AMAZING. So you will WANT to do it often and it will become a cherished part of your life.
    The key to getting to this step in a healthy weight loss plan is to be consistent. Since you are eating healthy food throughout the day, you are going to have so much energy, so use it! Get some activity every day. Even if it's just climbing up and down the stairs in your office building on your lunch break...try to get your heart rate up once a day even if it's only for 5 minutes. And then also take time to relax and de-stress every day, even if it's only for 5 minutes. What you're doing is building the HABIT of daily self-care. There will be days when you have more time to devote to your self-care, and so you will go for longer on those days... but it's all about getting the HABIT of taking care of yourself. This way your healthy weight loss plan will become more than just about losing weight...it will become your new way of life that you LOVE. And you will never have to worry about dieting or getting fat again.
Follow these steps to a healthy weight loss plan and you will start to feel the changes happening INSIDE of you first - all the super-charged energy, the bliss of a peaceful mind, and your amazing confidence in yourself. Then very soon your outside will become a reflection of all the wonderful things that have happened inside of you. You will lose weight, and feel great while you are doing it. And you will be "hooked" on health for life.