Weight Loss Tips for Serious Losers

Little things add up. This is true when it comes to gaining weight, but it is just as true for losing it. By making several small changes and mixing things up with a variety of workouts and different foods,, you can lose the weight and keep it from coming back. If you are serious about losing weight, these weight loss tips are made for you.

1. Eat one or two cups of a green salad with low-fat dressing before consuming your main meal. When you eat a couple of cups of low-calorie vegetables you will feel fuller and be much more likely to eat less of the rest.
2. Utilize the 30 day rule for habits. Just changing one or more habits in a month will give you a head start on lifelong changes. For example, commit to giving up soda for 30 days and make another change the next month by committing to walking 10 miles a week. You can use the 30 day rule for a variety of changes with weight loss benefits.
3. If your cravings are getting the best of you and you can't say no to a delicious dessert, eat half of a serving – that is, half of a REAL serving. (Instead of 1 slice of cheesecake, eat ½ of one serving of cheesecake).
4. If you like juice, split up your typical glass of juice into two glasses by diluting with water. Drink one glass in the morning and one glass later, or put it all in a water bottle and sip it throughout the day. You will spread the calories out and add some flavor to your water while getting the vitamins you need.
5. Don't say no to foods you love. You can have pizza. Just eat one slice rather than two or three... or more! If one doesn’t fill you, eat a serving of fruit or salad and then drink a glass of water.
6. Stop adding sugars, creamers, and sauces to your coffee. Learn to love black coffee. I am living proof that it is possible to learn to love your coffee black. It may take a couple of weeks (maybe 30), but it happens.
7. If you are a natural grazer, split your meals into several small ones rather than two or three larger meals. Instead of eating a yogurt and a sandwich at lunch, eat half of a yogurt and half of the sandwich. Save the rest for a “second lunch” in a couple of hours.
8. When you feel the urge to munch, drink 32 ounces of water and wait 15 minutes. If you still want it, then eat just half of what you would normally eat.
9. It is true that eating fewer carbs can speed up weight loss. If you don't like the thought of a low-carb diet, try cutting back a little at a time. Instead of eating two slices of bread, eat one. Instead of piling pasta on your plate, restrict yourself to a proper serving. Eat extra vegetables and lean protein to make up for it, if you wish.
10. Overestimate your calorie intake. Does the slice of bread have 80 calories and the turkey 30? Call the bread 100 and the turkey 50 – by rounding up when you count calories, you will take in fewer of them. It is important that you only do this for a realistic calorie restriction diet – if you are starving by eating less than 1200 a day (you really SHOULDN’T do that), use every calorie you can. However, if you are eating 1500 or so, saving 100 to 200 more calories by over-estimating will speed up your weight loss.
11. Take a break from dieting. Do you need a “no-diet” day? Save up extra calories for that day by reducing calories by 100 in the few days leading up to it. If you eat 2,000 or so calories on that day but have saved 500 or so, it is no big deal – ESPECIALLY if you put in an extra 20 to 30 minute workout.
12. Instead of one tablespoon of vegetable oil, use 2 teaspoons of olive or canola oil.
13. If you cannot stand the low-fat version of mayonnaise, use half of the amount of regular mayo, or even a full tablespoon. Just remember to count those calories.
14. If you like spicy food, add cayenne pepper to foods you might not have considered adding it to – spicy food does increase the metabolism. While doing this alone really isn’t a viable way to lose weight, as part of a program, it can add a little boost to your calorie burn.
15. Love your TV shows? Pace around, do some push-ups, or throw in extra crunches during commercial breaks.
16. Burn calories and strengthen your upper body by using free weights while you watch a movie.
17. Burn the fat by going to the store. When you go shopping during the day, park at the farthest end of the parking lot. If you live less than a couple of miles from the store, leave your car home and walk or walk.
18. If you don’t like turkey or chicken breast, eat leaner cuts of beef and pork.
19. Vary your exercise intensity while you are working out. Short bursts of intense cardio with moderate cardio burns more calories and helps you get fitter faster.
20. If the idea of working out non-stop for one hour a day has you frozen on the couch, then break it up into two 30 minute workouts – one in the morning and one in the late afternoon or evening. Still too hard? One 30 minute workout a day is better nothing!
21. Make meals last. Take smaller bites and chew your food longer. Put your eating utensils down frequently, sip some water and make conversation. This allows your tummy time to feel full. The truth is that many of us eat too fast. If you are a fast eater, you might find that you are uncomfortably full before you stop eating -- and you are eating way too much. Taking more time to enjoy your meals can seriously cut down on added calories.
22. When you are craving salt, you may be tempted to reach for a bag of chips or salted, buttery popcorn. But there is another way to ease that craving for salt. Eat something savory or sour. Instead of munching on potato chips, try munching on a dill pickle.

This combines protein, fiber and vitamins for a healthy and filling 400-calorie meal.

Blend together:

3 ice cubes

8 ounces of low-fat chocolate soy milk

1 sliced apple or ½ of a banana

2 Tablespoons of a fiber supplement

2 Tablespoons of natural peanut butter

Travel the Country or the Globe with a Fitness Destination in Mind

1. Buy a wall map and put it on a wall you look at every day. This should be a map of your country or a map of the world.

2. Put an x on the spot where you live and another x on the spot where you have always wanted to travel.

3. Figure out the distance between the two places. This is how far your exercise journey will take you. HINT: It should be at LEAST 1,000 miles or 1,610 kilometers.

4. “Travel” at least five days a week. That is, when you take a walk, go for a jog or bike ride, swim, row or ski, keep track of the distance.

5. Record it on you map by highlighting the distance traveled with a marker.

6. If your destination is 1,000 miles away, set a goal date of arrival at one year or 18 months, depending on how much you plan to work out during the week.

Try adding some variety to your routine by walking on an inclined treadmill and/or stair climber when you “reach” a mountain range and swimming, using a rowing machine or canoeing when you reach a body of water. Who says you can’t dance across Kansas or skate across Egypt? The important thing is that you enjoy your journey.

By the time you reach your "destination", you will have burned between 100,000 and 150,000 calories, depending on the intensity of the exercise. This translates into 27 to 40 pounds of weight loss, if you have not altered your diet to include more calories. If you choose to diet while on your journey, you will lose even more!

Reward yourself: For every mile you cover, put away a set amount of change. By the time you reach your fitness destination, you may be able to travel there! If not, use the money to buy a new wardrobe or count it as a start for that desired trip.

Regardless of which weight loss plan you follow or how much weight you have to lose, the most important aspect of losing weight and then keeping it off is your mindset. See weight loss and maintenance as a challenge and strive to overcome. Nothing about changing your lifestyle will be "easy", but it WILL be rewarding.

If you fall, get back up. So you binged on pizza and ice cream last night! The only thing that will make you a failure is if you decide to let it keep you down. Start over again right now!