10. Drink lots of water. While there isn’t much conclusive evidence that suggests that water makes you lose weight, water does flush out your system. Additionally, drinking water can also give you the opportunity to figure out of you’re actually hungry or just bored when reaching for a snack.
9. Set small goals and reward yourself (no, not with chocolate cake) when you reach them. Those 5 or 10 lost pounds will be all the more sweet when you’re enjoying the loss while getting a manicure.
8. Switch things up. Don’t let your routine become too, well… routine. Try new cuisines and recipes often, you’ll surprise yourself.
7. Allow yourself the occasional treat. Depravation only leads to bingeing.
6. Exercise!! Exercising not only burns calories, but it also helps raise your RMR (resting metabolic rate). This means that regular exercise helps you burn more calories when you aren’t even working out‚- now that’s what I like to hear!
5. Speaking of exercise, find workouts you love. A workout routine is doomed for failure if you’re miserable doing it. Try different things, figure out what motivates you and do that. This can include anything from outdoor running or hiking to kickboxing classes to swimming. If you find something you enjoy, you are far more likely to stick with it.
4. Don’t waste calories on things that don’t fill you up. This includes beverages, condiments and other fillers that do nothing to curb your hunger.
3. Monitor your progress. Write down your daily menus and workouts and keep a running tab of your weight. This way, if you hit a plateau you can look back and see what you can change. This also allows you to get tips from some of your more successful times.
2. Learn to read labels. This little nuisance can go a long way through your whole life. You’ll be amazed when some of the things you thought were healthy (how many of us have munched guilt-free on granola only to later discover the fat content?) turn out to be nutrition nightmares.
1. Find a diet plan that works for YOU. No one can tell you how to diet, so it is important to take what you learn and apply it in a way that fits your life. In the long run, dieting is about creating a healthy lifestyle you enjoy. Make diets work for you, not the other way around.