The idea of starting to lose weight is often overwhelming. There are so many things to keep in mind, so many new habits to make and so many bad habits to break that it can be easy to overlook some of the most effective strategies. Here are some simple ways to keep yourself on track to your goal.
The idea of losing weight can be filled with anxiety and stress. It may be tempting to eat comfort food, which is often high-calorie and low-nutrient, to make yourself feel better. Similarly, it may be tempting to skip going to the gym and instead sit at home watching TV to escape those worries. However, a proper diet will help you feel better and more confident, and exercising regularly will release endorphins that will do more for you and your happiness than watching television will.
Counting calories will be very important. Your baseline usage will be a significant proportion of your daily calories- there are many sources of formulas to use to calculate your baseline usage. If you eat fewer than this, your body will go into starvation mode, so it will become harder for you to lose weight. However, you should also figure out how many calories you will want to eat above this, and exercise regularly to burn those calories in order to lose that weight.
Culling your diet carefully can also help. Is there a food that is highly caloric and that you don't really enjoy, but eat mindlessly? Potato chips or cheese curls are often good examples. Replacing those with healthier snacks is often a good way to cut down a lot of calories without making yourself notably unhappier- if you're just eating them for the crunch, try carrots or celery.
Try a variety of different exercises. Simply jogging on a treadmill facing the same wall every day can get very monotonous very quickly. It can also lead to stress injuries in your knees and your ankles. Alternating it with strength training and other activities can help you maintain an exercise routine for a longer period of time.
Remember that larger muscle mass is helpful in your goal of getting fit and losing weight. Although the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat, a pound of muscle burns more calories per hour than a pound of fat, meaning that as you get more fit, you will burn more calories, even when you're just sleeping.
Keep in mind that not all exercises are the same; for example, swimming will likely burn more calories than slow weight lifting.
Many people rush to lose weight when they're enthusiastic and first starting out, but sometimes these things can be counterproductive, such as drastically reducing your calorie count to below your baseline needs. Instead, work on a couple strategies at a time and try to pick some sustainable methods that will work for you in the long term; if you love chocolate, don't completely cut chocolate out of your diet, but find somewhere else to cut calories first.
