As the New Year quickly approaches, one of the resolutions that will top the charts again this year will be to lose weight and get in shape. Many people will start out enthusiastic, completely dedicated to the cause of fitness, but will fade before spring approaches. What is the key to being successful on a weight loss journey? No one should make a life-changing decision without research, thought, and preparation. Losing weight and getting in shape is just that…a lifestyle change. Set a start date and use the time above to prepare!
1) Start planning your weight loss strategy several weeks in advance. Research various diets and exercise programs. Join support groups online. Decide which plans YOU can join and make this decision before your start date. You’ll want to start collecting recipes and building a support team of friends with similar weight loss goals. Grab a few fitness magazines and start flipping through them to determine which ones you find motivating. Some popular women’s magazines to try are: Fitness, Shape, and Oxygen.
2) Choose your goals, but make them possible. Focusing entirely on the weight of the scale is not necessarily the best strategy. You’ve heard it time and time again and it’s true: muscle weighs more than fat! Focus on measurements, body fat percentage, clothing size, or even a sports goal. Set mini-goals, too…it’s much easier to stay motivated while reaching each individual goal than to wait until you reach a distant goal. Be sure to allow non-food rewards as you reach each goal, and put them in writing to remind you what you’re working on. Treat yourself to a manicure/pedicure, a massage, new lingerie, a slinky dress, or other perks.
3) Document your “Before” of yourself. Ask a friend or spouse to help you take the initial measurements. At a minimum, measure your chest, waist, upper arm, and upper thigh. Be sure to write down your body fat percentage as well. Most gyms will perform this measurement for a small fee and tracking body fat is vital to get a more accurate representation of your true progress. Take photos in a bathing suit or sports bra and shorts. These will be extremely important to compare along the way and show how much progress you are really making!
4) Find the perfect body and stick it everywhere! Perhaps you have a photo of yourself from your youth. Maybe there is a fitness model that has the shape you would like to have. Again, be realistic about the body you choose, but once you find a body type that suits your desires, post pictures around you as reminders. Tear an ad out of a magazine and stick it on the fridge. Find that picture of you in a bikini before you were born and post it on your computer monitor. Use them as constant reminders of what you are trying to achieve.
5) Join a gym or pick up the necessary equipment to exercise at home. Joining a gym can be a great motivation to keep up with your fitness plan for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that you should watch the monthly fee leave your checking account for at least a year in most cases! If you’re going to pay for it, you might as well use it, right? There’s such a variety of exercise opportunities at a gym that you’ll be less likely to get bored. Most offer free weights, weight machines, aerobics classes, and a variety of cardio machines, at the very least. Many also offer personal training instruction and swimming pools. Over time, you’ll probably form friendships that will help motivate you to continue exercising regularly.
6) Get used to writing down everything you eat, good or bad. He may be telling himself that he really isn’t eating “that” badly, but he can’t figure out why his weight loss is slow or non-existent. Choose an inexpensive food scale and start weighing and measuring your portions. Quite often, by looking at it on paper, you can identify troublesome moments and trigger foods. There are many online sites that offer a food journal, including FitDay.com.
7) Start weaning yourself off your bad habits early. Living a healthy lifestyle will probably be impactful enough that you don’t want to “go cold turkey” with all the changes at once. Use the weeks leading up to your goal date to start making subtle changes. If you’re a heavy soda or coffee drinker, start cutting back on one or two a day, then as you adjust, cut another, etc. If you’re a fan of chocolate, start cutting back or perhaps replace with sugar-free products. Teach yourself to eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day instead of the normal three big ones. This will help keep your blood sugar stable, preventing cravings and deterring binge eating.
Most importantly, take this time to mentally prepare. Use the weeks leading up to your start date to make sure you are emotionally ready. See it as the last chance to eat certain foods without feeling guilty. A healthy and fit lifestyle change is not going to be easy, but it will be less difficult if you have mentally convinced yourself that you are ready and that you will succeed.
