Weight loss – Five pitfalls to avoid

Sustained weight loss is possible when tempting pitfalls are avoided. The following are five pitfalls to avoid for weight loss:

Television

The entire nature of television is that it is a sedentary, passive entertainment that is conducted while sitting down for extended periods of time. Time spent watching television is definitely time spent not moving very much. Therefore, there is no opportunity to burn calories. Worse, most people take snacks to eat in front of the television. These snacks are often of the salty, highly caloric variety. If television is a relaxing and enjoyable pastime, it does not have to be totally excluded from life. One way to avoid gaining weight is to walk on the treadmill while watching television. Another suggestion is to change the type of snacks that are consumed while watching television. Better choices are celery or yogurt.

Emotional Eating

Overeating is a response that many people have to stress. Yet, it is not healthful to eat during a very stressful situation because stress and anxiety impair digestion.

A better habit is to talk to a friend or counselor about stressful situations. Also, it is advised to keep a journal to express emotions more positively.

Traveling

Traveling is another pitfall to weight loss because of two factors. The first one is that travel is mildly stressful, which causes some people to overeat. The second factor causing travel to disrupt weight loss is that people get out of their normal routines. A dieter may just grab something on the run or eat an unknown type of food from a different region. A solution to this is simply to pack some preplanned dietary fare and bring it along on the trip.

Restaurants

Restaurants are another dieting nightmare because diners do not see the food being prepared and do not know exactly what the portion sizes will be. In this case, call ahead to the restaurant. Many restaurants publish pre-printed guides to exactly what is in the food. It is best to read this calmly when away from the restaurant environment. That way, the hard decisions are already made before the dieter even gets to the restaurant. This helps to give a person self control.

Movie Theaters

The final pitfall is the movie theater. This one is tough, mostly because of how powerful the sense of smell is. It is hard to resist that buttery popcorn smell and taste. At the least, request the popcorn without butter or bring snacks from home.

A little preplanning is what can keep these situations from ruining progress in dieting. Now that these five situations are explained, it will be easier to plan around them to keep weight loss momentum going.

Tips for Simple and Fast Weight Loss

Weight loss is a struggle for millions of Americans and is quickly becoming a global problem as well. Weight loss is also a huge industry, with dozens of new diet products hitting the market every year. But, is losing weight really that complicated? Not really, and following these simple tips will lead to long-term weight loss success.

Eat Less, Move More

No matter what the latest diet trend would have us believe, weight loss comes down to eating less and moving more. Consistently burning more calories than are taken in will lead to weight loss. While it might seem too easy, it is also empowering to realize that nobody needs fancy weight loss products. To help burn more calories, find an enjoyable exercise or an active hobby to pursue.

Say No to White

There is no need to worry about a long list of good foods and bad foods, just remember this simple rule. White foods aren’t as good for you as dark foods. White foods raise blood sugar levels, offer less nutrients, and are more processed than their darker counter parts. White bread, flour, rice, pasta and sugar are all things that can be replaced with darker, better choices.

Get Enough Rest

Studies have shown that people that get enough rest have more weight loss success. They believe that the link between weight gain and too little sleep might come down to an increase in cortisol levels. While nobody has all the answers, Harvard University reports that skimping on sleep affects people’s appetite and how people store and process carbohydrates. So make sure that getting enough rest is a priority.

Be Consistent

Winning the battle of the bulge once and for all comes down to being consistent. Exercising every day for a month then stopping for three will not help one get fit. Eating well for a few weeks then dropping off the bandwagon for two will lead to weight gain, not loss. So, find a weight loss strategy that makes sense and can be followed for life. Consistently developing good habits will lead to lasting weight loss.

All too often people look for excuses when it comes to losing weight, like not having the money to join a gym, buy the latest weight loss product or list of fancy specialty foods. Knowing these simple weight loss tips are more important than buying into a diet trend. So no more excuses, eat less, move more and lose that weight once and for all!