If you’re a woman who is sick and tired of being overweight, being the butt of all the fat jokes, embarrassed to go out in public, have low self-esteem, low self-confidence, low energy levels, feel unattractive, and is completely fed up with all the hyped up diet fads and have unanswered questions about how to really lose weight by applying simple lifestyle tweaks, then you’re about to discover the top five questions right now!
What you are about to discover is important because if you don’t understand the fundamentals of weight loss and what stimulates it, then you’re surely not going to be able to figure out the best approaches that are right for you. This means you will be able to determine a clear uncomplicated path to lose weight based upon applying what you’ll learn from these 5 high-powered questions.
Let’s get to it…
Q1: What Are Realistic Goals for Weight Loss?
“I want to lose 10 pounds this week”, “I will stop eating everything to lose weight”, “I will work out 8 hours a day to achieve my weight loss goals” – Sounds familiar?
People struggling with weight usually end up making unrealistic weight loss goals that are almost impossible to achieve. And when they fail, it further demotivates them to lose weight. So what exactly are realistic goals for weight loss? This is usually the first question that pops up in our heads. So here are some great answers!
Setting Weight Loss Targets
Here are two amazing tips to set realistic weight loss target:
Tip 1: Go slow because a gradual and natural approach towards weight loss is the best and most effective weight loss target. Fad diets that offer bigger results in less time are often temporary and do not benefit you in the long run. Therefore, losing a pound in a week is better than aiming for losing 10 pounds in a week’s time.
Tip 2: Think about your calories because the real deal of weight loss targets start with burning more calories than you consume. Thus, set a target for your calorie consumption.
Keep a count and burn more than you consume to lose weight effectively.
Remember: One pound of body fat contains 3500 calories. Losing 1 to 2 pounds of bodyweight in one week is the best target because if you lose more weight than that, you run the risk of losing lean body mass. The less muscle you have, the less body fat you’ll burn.
Q2: What Are The Best Foods For Weight Loss?
The right type of food makes a lot of difference. Keeping up with a healthy diet will help you lose weight successfully. Fill yourself up with the right food that includes veggies, fruits and lots of fiber. In addition to controlling your portion sizes, choose your food wisely and lose weight easily.
Foods rich in fiber are good for weight loss because they are filling. Of course, there’s nothing magical about the type of food you are eating because you still have to burn it off to lose weight. However, nutrition is very important that you can only gain from the right kind of healthy food.
Enjoy lots of fruits and vegetables, including strawberries, oranges, apples, nectarines, berries, and plums, green veggies and leafy salads of all kinds. In addition to this, add different beans to your diet as well. These could vary from black beans to split peas, lentils, chickpeas, pinto beans, etc. Add them to different recipes of salads, soups, and entrees and add flavors and texture to your food.
Also, whole grain is good for your system if you want to lose weight.
Q3: What Are The Top 5 Foods To Avoid For Weight Loss?
While some foods are bad for our body, there is a list of worst foods that you should be aware of if you are struggling with weight loss. Unfortunately, the foods we find the most delicious could actually turn out to be worst in terms of calories and fat – an absolute disaster for your weight loss. Such foods can be really difficult to avoid, especially if you are eating out.
While we are all well aware how bad sugar, fried food and starchy carbs are for us, I will highlight the worst 5 foods we consume (thinking they are healthy). So these foods should be avoided always or consumed in moderation.
1)) Smoothies
If you are not making smoothies yourself, don’t drink them! Unless and until you are aware of all the ingredients used in the smoothie, you cannot rely on the yogurt and fruit blend they sell in the restaurants. Smoothies you find on the menu are often made with milk or ice cream and crammed with sugar.
So don’t be fooled by the healthy smoothie on the menu.
Some commercial smoothies have more than the calories of two Big Macs put together. Yes, only 20oz. can total up to over 1000 calories.
2)) Avoid Carb-Loaded Snacks
When you consume rice cakes, white bread, dry cereals or crackers, your body converts the consumed carbs into simple sugars and dissolves them into your bloodstream right away. If you are trying to lose weight, simple carbs should be off-limits entirely. There are healthier options that will offer you a better way to live.
So avoid simple carbs as much as possible, especially when you are eating out and feel inclined towards sugary foods that hold no nutritional value for you.
3)) Frozen Meals
Most of us naturally turn to frozen meals as they are convenient and saves us time because of not having to cook everything from scratch. But have you ever wondered how can these ingredients last so long in your freezer? Frozen meals are generally loaded with preservatives to increase the life of the ingredients. When these preservatives are consumed through food, they retain water in our body, which bloats us up – so you don’t feel or look your best and keep struggling with weight loss.
Say good bye to frozen meals! Cook fresh if you want to live a healthy life.
4)) Artificially Sweetened Drinks And Juices
So you drink diet soda because you are on a diet, right? But have you ever wondered how these drinks that taste sweet are mysteriously zero in calories? This is nothing but a trap. Your brain is wired not only through wrong advertisements but also by artificial sweeteners that enhance or induce cravings.
Say goodbye to all types of sodas, diet sodas and even fruit juices that sit in your cupboard, because they are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners that could mess up with your health as well as your weight loss goal. If you really want to drink something, you will be better off with water or homemade lemon-water.
5)) Foods That Claim They Are Low-Fat
First of all, you can’t be very sure if the food is actually low in fat. Also, your brain is tuned in a way that when you know you are consuming a food that is low in fat, you end up consuming 30 percent more than your regular consumption. In addition to overeating, which in itself is a huge obstacle in your weight loss goal, when fat is removed from food; food makers also remove some of the flavor, inevitably.
As compensation, sugar is added to it to bring back the flavor and eventually, the ‘low-fat’ food becomes even worse for you to consume.
Q4: How Much Water To Drink A Day For Weight Loss?
There are multiple factors that help you figure out how much water is the right amount for weight loss. Of course, you will hear all types of suggestions, including 1 oz. of water for every pound of body weight is healthy and that 12 glasses of water is perfect. Which one’s right? Read on to find out!
How Much Water is Actually Perfect for Weight Loss
Water is a crucial part of any exercise program and diet plan, not to mention life and health in general as well, because it is vital for all aspects of our physical function.
As far as water consumption for weight loss is concerned, you cannot simply start following a one-size-fits-all approach here. As a rule of thumb, it is highly recommended that women should at least consume 88 oz. of water. However, it does not suggest that you should drink ‘water’ only to meet your daily target. Other beverages as well as fruits and moisture content foods also contribute towards your overall water intake. So don’t forget to count that!
Exercise – An Important Factor
You tend to lose fluid out of your body in the form of sweat when you exercise or engage in vigorous activity. Thus, you must drink extra water to compensate that loss. The best approach is to consume 12 oz. of water at least 2 hours before you start your workout. Drink another 12 oz. after 30 minutes of your exercise.
If you sweat a lot, don’t hesitate in drinking a few sips of water every 15 minutes while working out. On the other hand, if you are indulged in extremely intense workouts where you sweat a lot – for example during a marathon, you might need a little more than just water, such as coconut water or a healthy sports drink. This would also compensate for the sodium you lose in sweat.
Drinking Water According To The Environment
Again, your focus should be on how much fluid you lose and compensate for it. Your environment will also be an important factor to take into consideration. If you live in a region with humid or hot weather, you require more fluid in your body to keep your body temperature in check and to replace what you lose because of sweating.
Similarly, heated indoor air during cold weather can also cause your skin to lose the natural moisture. This will increase your daily water requirement. So adjust accordingly and provide your body with enough water to function properly.
Q5: How To Keep A Journal For Weight Loss?
Maintaining a journal for weight loss actually means keeping track of your diet and routine. It could be really effective if you do it right. Also, it is important that you prepare your mindset before keeping a journal so that you follow it religiously and gain desirable results.
Food Diary
You can maintain a food diary and update it every single day. Here, you can list down the different foods you have eaten in a day and their respective calories. You can design your own meal plans keeping your ideal calories in mind or you can even follow a suitable meal plan and maintain your food diary.
You can even fill out your diary as you go throughout the day or just dedicate some time out of your day to fill it in. However, experts suggest that you can be more accurate with your food diary if you update it soon after eating. Other than that, it is also important to put down every little detail, regardless of how embarrassing or painful it is.
Your food diary is a record of what you eat and how you plan to burn it. So don’t even think about skipping anything here. All the little details matter and will help you identify mistakes and take a more effective approach to achieve your weight loss goal.
Track Records
Maintaining a food journal or diary also helps you track records. You can compare your results from the past and even set goals to achieve them within a given period. For instance, if you have been maintaining a food diary regularly, you can easily pin point if you are getting the desired results. You can even check out the details to find out if there had been any lagging that you can fix.
Weight loss is all about consistency. Track records and compare results and see if the current routine is working for you. However, just be consistent with your approach, even if you have to change the methods you have been currently following.
Tracking records also help in motivating you. I always feel extremely motivated and encouraged whenever the comparisons showed me good results. So you can use that as your motivation too.
Paste Pictures
Make the journal more meaningful by pasting pictures in it. If you are updating it on a daily basis or at least checking out your diary multiple times in a day, pasting pictures can make a lot of difference.
These can be your own before and after pictures. Just be honest while choosing the pictures and follow a pattern. For instance, take a picture of you after every 2 weeks and paste it. Now compare your old pictures with new ones. What do you notice? Do you feel the change? Does that encourage you?
If you are following the right routine and approach, there are great chances that you would see a huge difference in your old and new pictures and once again, you can use these to motivate yourself and work harder towards your goals.
Other than your own pictures, you can also paste pictures of people you idealize. For instance, if you love a celebrity’s body and you want to see yourself in that body someday, put that up in your food diary and take inspiration on a daily basis to keep yourself on track.
When To Update
As regularly as possible! As mentioned earlier, make sure you do not delay it more than a week. However, it is ideal if you are able to update it every day and at the right time to make sure it is as accurate as possible.
Do not miss out on the important details, even if they are as small as eating a small candy during the day. Just add in all the details to make sure it is as authentic as possible.
Here’s a little tip: Dieters often lose the enthusiasm with time. They tend to become more relaxed about updating their food diaries and even forget a number of things when they are finally updating the information. Do not follow that negative pattern if you are really serious about weight loss and gaining your health back on track again.
Keep It Detailed
Time is a very crucial factor that will help you determine how detailed you want your food diary to be. If you have plenty of time to add all the details, go ahead and do it and it will prove to be extremely helpful for you.
On the other hand, if you have time constraints, use it in the best way possible. Prioritize on the details and include information that motivates you. For instance, if you do not have enough time to add calorie detail about each and every meal or ingredient you are recording, you can avoid that and just write the total number of calories.
So if the ‘perfect detailed food log’ works for you, make sure you make time for that. Otherwise, at least take your first step and see how successful maintaining a food diary proves for you.
Remember, it’s difficult to manage what you don’t measure.
Let’s wrap this up…
In summary: You just learned about Weight Loss For Women – Top Five Questions You Should Know!
As you can see, losing weight doesn’t have to be complicated. By applying simple techniques to your everyday lifestyle, you can begin melting off body fat with minimal effort, because all of these little actions produce extraordinary results when combined together.
Start implementing these techniques starting today!