How can you lose weight without driving yourself crazy? If you are like many Americans, you are probably asking yourself this question. It seems as if every year our dress sizes (along with our waistlines) grow exponentially. However, there is a way to reverse this trend. And despite what you see on television, it doesn’t involve fad diets, expensive pills or tedious exercise.
So, how can you lose weight while still enjoying life? You have to change your perspective. Everybody knows you have to diet and exercise in order to lose weight, but not enough people know how to do it for the long haul. Really, if you want to lose weight, you have to follow this pattern for the rest of your life.
To develop this pattern, you have to make diet and exercise fun. That way, you’ll be more inclined to follow your new lifestyle indefinitely.
With that said, here are some easy weight loss tricks that you’ll WANT to continue for the rest of your life.
1. Exercise Using the Xbox Kinect – When it comes to easy weight loss tricks, I’m surprised at how many people scoff at this suggestion. Just because the Kinect is a video game doesn’t mean it’s ineffective for losing weight. I myself lost 5 pounds in one week playing on this device.
Based on my experience, if you want to lose weight fast, stick to Dance Central or Your Shape Fitness. Not only are they pretty vigorous, but they also track your calories. Depending on your weight, an hour on either of these games could result in a loss of 300 calories or more.
2. Eat More Soup & Yogurt – There are many turning to soup diets for fast weight loss. There is also a yogurt diet for weight loss, but again, you want to avoid the “fad” mentality. If you eat ONLY yogurt or soup, you will get bored really quickly. I mean, even if you love these foods, nobody wants to eat the same thing every day.
A better approach would involve making permanent substitutions. Instead of eating cakes and cookies for your desert, treat yourself to a serving of yogurt. You would save over 200 calories making such a move. For lunch, instead of going to McDonald’s, eat a bowl of soup. Try to stick to varieties that have lots of protein, as they will keep you fuller for a longer period of time.
You can also eat fruit smoothies for weight loss, provided that they have yogurt in them. By adding yogurt, your fruit smoothies gain calcium and protein, nutrients that are essential for your well-being. Protein builds your muscles, while calcium strengthens your teeth and bones. Plus, if you consume yogurt & fruit smoothies for weight loss, you will feel emotionally satisfied with your meal.
3. Use a Portable Exercise Bike While At Work – If it’s okay with your boss, slip a portable exercise bike underneath your desk. Try to exercise as long as you can. Even if you can only get an hour in, you’re looking at a loss of 200 calories or more. If you can work your way to 8 hours, you would be burning a whopping 1,600 calories. But don’t do that immediately, as that would put you on the level of an athlete. Instead, start off slow, based on the advice of your physician. If he or she feels you can try for that next hour, go on ahead.
Now, if your boss doesn’t like the idea of you using a portable exercise bike, just use the device at home while you’re watching TV or playing video games. By taking this approach, you would lose weight while being a couch potato.
4. Fill Your Belly Before Eating Your Main Meal – As soon as your hunger strikes eat an apple (or something else filling) and then drink a big glass of water. Obviously, you will still need to eat your normal meal, but you won’t need as much of it.
5. Unlock the Power of Affirmations – When it comes to easy weight loss tips, this one is the simplest of them all. Just purchase one of those affirmation CDs you see advertised on self-help websites. If you listen to it every day for at least half an hour, you will lose weight with less effort. Note this won’t be because you aren’t working hard. Rather, it will be due to a change of perception. Since you’ll WANT to exercise and eat healthier, you won’t notice or care about the sacrifices you have to make to get there.