You have now lost 18 pounds toward your 50 pound goal. You are making great progress and becoming healthier as you do it. The positive lifestyle habits you have built are resulting in both your weight loss and the other health benefits occurring. Although these positive lifestyle habits may not always be easy to maintain, the results they produce are well worth the effort. As with most things in life that are worth doing well, weight loss requires time and effort along with motivation.
The tracking of your daily weigh in is important on your weight loss journey. Although it does not take much time or effort it is still a vital part of a successful weight loss program. Daily weighing in allows you to closely monitor your weight. By monitoring your weight you can determine if you are on track for your 2 pound per week desired weight loss. However, it is important to remember that many factors can affect your weight. Sodium intake, amount of sleep, level of hydration, and time of the month are just a few of the factors that can affect your daily weigh in along with calorie consumption and calories burned. Even when you are seemingly doing everything right on your weight loss journey the scale may not cooperate. When this happens, your daily weigh in routine allows you to make adjustments as necessary in order to produce the results you desire.
Proper hydration is another important habit which you have built on your weight loss journey. In order to become properly hydrated a minimum of eight 8 ounce glasses of water must be consumed each day. However, depending on your level of exercise and sodium intake along with other factors, the amount of water required for proper hydration may increase. Proper hydration also requires that water be consumed on a regular basis during the day. If you reach a point where you feel thirsty then you have already reached the point where you are dehydrated. Because of this it is important to drink even when you may not feel thirsty. Additionally many people confuse the sensation of hunger for the sensation of thirst. Drinking a full 8 ounce glass of water when you think you feel hungry can also help with proper hydration. A good way to ensure that you get all of your required water in each day is to drink a full 8 ounce glass of water prior to each of your 6 daily meals.
Proper nutrition is also an important positive lifestyle habit which you have built on your weight loss journey. Proper nutrition goes beyond just eating at the appropriate calorie level. It also encompasses what types of food you eat to reach your calorie targets. Your eating habits should focus on fresh produce, lean proteins and whole grains. Another focus should be on the nutrients you receive from your food and through supplementation. A high quality daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement is an easy way to ensure that you receive all of the nutrients necessary both for good health and efficient weight loss. Additionally supplementation can boost your immune system and energy levels.
The appropriate calorie level for the default program example is 1,200 calories. When you make high quality food choices you will be shocked at the quantity of food available to you at this minimal calorie level. For breakfast you might enjoy 6 ounces of plain Greek yogurt topped with 1 cup fresh blueberries and 1 tbs sliced almonds for a total of 200 calories. A mid morning snack might be a tropical fruit salad consisting of 1 cup sliced peaches, 1 cup strawberry halves, ½ cup sliced mango and ½ cup pineapple for a total of 210 calories. Lunch might be 1 skinless baked chicken drumstick with a pea salad made by combining ¾ cup thawed frozen peas, 1 ½ tbs fat free mayonnaise, 2 tbs shredded low fat cheddar cheese, and 1 tbs chopped fresh dill for a total of 197 calories. Your mid afternoon snack might be 2 mini cinnamon-raisin bagels with 2 tbs whipped cream cheese for a total of 202 calories. Dinner might be 3 ounces of pan seared snapper with a vegetable sauté consisting of 2 cups green beans, ½ cup cherry tomatoes and 2 tbs chopped shallots for a total of 207 calories. The final meal of the day might be 3 small pieces of dark chocolate and 2 medium tangerines for a total of 184 calories. The grand total for this meal plan is 1,201 calories spread over 6 meals.
Regular exercise is the final positive lifestyle habit which you have built on your weight loss journey. Regular exercise can improve your overall health and the efficiency of your weight loss. Additionally, regular exercise can improve your strength and endurance. An exercise schedule of Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday is suggested. However, if this schedule does not work with your lifestyle feel free to adjust it as necessary. Because 2,700 calories per week must be burned for the default program example, it is important that the exercise be spread over 4 days each week. A 225 pound person such as the one in the program example must jog for approximately 70 minutes in order to burn 675 calories. Another option to burn 675 calories is to hike with a pack for approximately 70 minutes. A third option is to complete 50 minutes of low impact step aerobics in order to burn approximately 675 calories. If these exercise activities do not interest you then it is perfectly acceptable to find another physical activity or exercise that will burn the required number of calories. Additionally if time constraints prevent you from completing the necessary calorie burn in one single session feel free to break it into more manageable segments of time. Remember that the type of exercise which you do is not important so long as you burn enough calories to add up to the necessary weekly total.
