When you think of losing weight, you think of dieting. And when you think of dieting, I’m guessing you think of restriction – of eating less and putting more time towards doing things you’d rather not do (like exercising). It doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, when you think of weight loss, you should think of small sustainable changes. And here are a few that you can implement today.
First, get rid of the idea ingrained in your brain that dieting is all about calories in and calories out. This concept simply isn’t true. One of my favorite quotes from JJ Virgin sums it up: “Your body is a biochemistry lab, not a bank account.” Energy balance does not rule your waistline! So just forget about it. Okay? Great! First step done.
Now, the first change you can make is when and how often you eat. The answer here is NOT less, it’s MORE. When you eat erratically and skip meals, you are freaking your body out. Your body does not know when it will get fuel; it basically goes into crisis mode and starts conserving as much as it can. This means it sloooows down the metabolism and stores as much fat as possible. Not what you want, right?! To avoid this reaction, eat regularly and spread your meal out a bit more. Optimally, you should eat 4 meals about 3-4 hours apart.
The next change you should make is what you’re eating. This does not have to be drastic. Focus on making small changes to your diet. Try new things and cooking techniques to figure out what you like. If you’re eating better than you were… you’re on the right track. Protein is a great place to start when making changes in what you’re eating. Protein helps you stay full, and it revs up the metabolism. Not only that, it help burn fat in the places you want to burn the most – the hips and belly. Try to aim for 20 grams of protein per meal. And make sure you’re getting protein from good sources! Think eggs, wild-caught fish, grass fed beef and poultry, organic cheese, organic yogurt, fresh tofu, nuts, seeds and beans.
The last change you can make today is what you drink. Drink water. First of all it’s free. So not only will you be saving pounds, but you’ll be saving money. You should drink 8 glasses a day. And you should be sipping water throughout the day. So go buy a fun water bottle and keep it close. Your body must have water in order to function properly. If you don’t drink enough, your body won’t function correctly – leading to unwanted effects, especially water retention which can look like fat. Being dehydrated can also cause cravings and increase your appetite.
There you go. Three ways to start feeling better and lose weight without “dieting”. Let us know how it goes or if you have any tips you’d like to share!
