Weight Loss Tips

21. Imitate Your Favorite Celebrity Chef. The more meals you cook for yourself the better. You’ll have more control of the ingredients you use, and appreciate your food more since you made it.

22. Take a Longer View. We all want to lose weight like yesterday, but it took awhile for you to get to this point, and it’s going to take some time to get yourself back to good. Be patient and keep the bigger picture in mind.

23. Switch up the Chocolate. Just because you’re dieting it doesn’t mean you have to give up the chocolate, if that’s your weakness. Just make sure that it’s dark chocolate, and that it’s in moderation.

24. Turn Off the TV. You’ll not only benefit by being more likely not to veg out on the couch, you’ll skip the ads for all the fast food, pizza, and chain restaurants.
25. Meditate and Use Visual Imagery. Rather than focusing on how hungry you are or on the things you’re giving up, spend time clearing your head and picturing yourself the way you want to be.

26. Get a Therapeutic Massage. It’s more than just calories in and out, it’s about feeling good and few things can get you there faster than a massage by a licensed and experienced physical therapist.

27. Stop with the Fizz. Cutting carbonated beverages can go a long way towards helping you reach your goal weight. They not only work to dehydrate you, but many contain caffeine, and even more contain High Fructose Corn Syrup which will really trip up your efforts.

28. Work the Core. This doesn’t mean doing endless crunches or spot treating the stomach. There are many variations of exercises you can do. The core muscles help with many movements throughout the day, and can help relieve pressure on the back.

29 Take a Pass on the Latest Craze. Once you step back from the merry-go-round of the latest trends you can see how silly they are. Choose a solid program to follow and stick with it.

30. Focus on Being Healthier All Around. Yes, the goal is to lose weight, but if you dig deeper you’ll see that feel better is the core of the motivation, and that involves improving the body’s many functions with a holistic approach to health and well-being.

31. Ready, Fire, Aim! Don’t sit around waiting for the perfect strategy to come by, just get started doing something. The interesting thing is that once you start down the road to weight loss, the answers you need will come to you effortlessly.

32. Get to a Happy Place with Your Parents. In his book Heal the Hurt That Sabotages Your Life Bill Ferguson explains that a lot of the struggle in life comes from feelings of unworthiness caused by a dysfunctional relationship with your parents. If you have emotional connections to food this is a good place to start.

33. Pick a Guru, Any Guru. The problem is that there are so many gurus out there, many saying the same things, and others saying everyone else has it wrong, that it can stall your start. Pick the one that resonates most with you and go with what they say, at least until you reach your target.

34. Go Organic Whenever Possible. A recent study tried to debunk organic foods but missed the point entirely. You don’t buy organic because they have more vitamins or minerals, you buy it for all it doesn’t contain, like pesticides, chemicals, and additives.

35. Make More Money. It seems odd that money is connected to weight loss, but many people find that they need to start buying new clothes, eating better food, and getting more active. That costs money, and a lack of it can inhibit your progress.

36. Swim. This is one exercise that gets the whole body involved, helps with circulation, burns calories, and leaves you feeling great if you do it right. Don’t know how to swim or need a refresher?

37. Buy a New Pair of Pants. Buy a pair of pants in the size you want to be. But be careful to use them as a motivating factor as you near your goal, and not a demotivator as you struggle to get into them.

38. Use Better Metrics. Overall weight loss shouldn’t be your main goal, because this includes muscle mass that you can end up losing on starvation diets. What you should really be checking is your Body Fat Percentage (BFP) and your Body Mass Index (BMI). Choose healthy levels for each and strive for those.

39. Learn to Chillax. One characteristic that many dieters seem to share is that they get antsy and feel like they should always be doing something, because it’s being lazy that made them fat. But you have to learn to take some time to just relax and let your mind and body rest, especially now when you are making so many changes.

40. Eat a Light Breakfast. Your digestive juices are just getting going in the morning, so don’t overdo it. Keep it light so you fuel your body without slogging yourself down. SEE: 45 Healthy Breakfasts