Long-Term Weight Loss Tips for Beginners

Whenever someone decides they want to start a weight loss regimen, they are often drawn to the latest fad or gimmick. This is too bad because I have realized from my experience as a fitness instructor that the good intentions are there, but when these fads do work, they are not long-term weight loss results.

Soon after the results are achieved, the weight that was lost is now back! This is always a hard pill to swallow and the dieter will have to start from scratch again.

Because results were achieved before on this fad or trick diet, this person will continue on this quick-fix journey, bouncing from one crash diet to another, but will never get long-term results.

I hate to see this happen!

If someone has the energy and patience to continue on this path of “yo-yo” dieting, why not put that energy into actually working towards long-term success? It just takes a change of mindset.

I’ve put together some long-term weight loss tips that you can use if you want to pursue a more sustainable approach to losing weight.

Long-Term Weight Loss Tips #1: Don’t Go on a Diet, Learn About the Food You Eat…

My definition of “diet” is:

“The food you eat every day. Everyone is on some kind of diet”

If you eat a lot of fast food you are on a fast food diet, if you eat only sugary snacks you are on a sugar diet, if you eat vegetables you are on a vegetarian diet. The list goes on.

My point is if you want a healthy diet that will help you lose the weight you don’t want to see again; you have to eat the right things to help you. This may sound blindingly obvious, but you’d be surprised how often this factor is overlooked!

I would always recommend that you find the right balance of nutrition and calories. Start with the basics and then refine your knowledge; after all, you have the rest of your life to work on this. Keep putting the new knowledge you acquire into practice. Be in it for the long haul!

Long-Term Weight Loss Tips #2: You don’t have to give up your favorite foods!

When looking at long-term weight loss, you may think that if you embark on this for the rest of your life, you’ll never be able to eat your favorite foods again! This is a horrible thought!

It’s not true either! From experience, the best way to do this is to have a “cheat day.” A cheat day will allow you to eat a meal that you really enjoy once a month or once a week. In fact, I do it myself.

I used to be a fan of a good English fish and chip shop! This is probably one of the highest calorie foods you can eat, so it’s not ideal for a dieter. I eliminated this for a long time and now I will struggle to eat a full size serving even on a cheat day.

So if you set up a “cheat day” you’ll look forward to it the first few times and your favorite food will taste much better, but eventually, you may even give up this bad food altogether! Either way you are a winner.

Long-term weight loss tips #3: Eat at least 4 times a day

Yes! Eat more food to burn more fat! Here’s the theory; If you eat regularly, you will prevent your body from going into “fat storage mode.” If you don’t eat for long periods of time, your body will decide not to eat and try to conserve the calories you’ve given it.

I always relate this to how laptops react to not being plugged in in your hands when working on them; enter “power saving mode”, the screen dims to save battery power so it can last a little longer. The laptop does not run on all cylinders, similar to the human body.

Eating regularly doesn’t mean snacking on donuts and cakes. You can snack between meals carrot sticks, almonds, plain popcorn, salads, dried meat, fresh fruit.

Long-Term Weight Loss Tips #4 Healthy Substitutes for Your Favorite Food

Does everyone have a favorite food that probably isn’t really good for them? It’s a great idea to find healthy alternatives to these foods.

Let’s look at pizza as an example. Pizza can be very “caloric” and unhealthy. A good idea is to make your own, you will have control of what happens in this, you can, you can:

• limit the amount of cheese you put on and use a “low-fat” alternative
• Add additional vegetables to the topping
• Use a whole food thin base or even make your own if you’re particularly adept in this area.
• You can even use a flattened chicken breast as the bottom of the pizza, this can make it super healthy! As long as you have a bit of oregano and tomato puree on it, you’ll have a nice pizza flavor.

If you take note of the “#1 Long-Term Weight Loss Tips” and learn to get creative in the kitchen, you’ll find it enjoyable and great for your health and weight loss plans!

Long-Term Weight Loss Tips #5: Prepare your meal for the day

This is one of the most inconvenient parts of the whole fitness and weight loss game. Yes, it will take a little extra time, but the longer you stick to it, the easier and faster it becomes.

Remember that you are looking for long-term weight loss tips. If you rely on canteen food and fast food outlets, you may find yourself unstuck. This is why it is best to bring your own lunch pack to work or school, this way you will have full control over your food intake.

If you have a reliable eatery for healthy options to visit at work, great! You can use this, but if it’s hit or miss, you’re better off fixing it yourself.

Get into a routine, prepare your meal before you go to bed, ready for the next day, you’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll get used to this if you hardly notice it.

Long-Term Weight Loss Tips #6: Don’t Overcomplicate Things At First

When it comes to diet, food, exercise, and fitness, there is a lot of information out there. It is very easy to be fooled by a different approach, especially if you are new to this game.

The best advice I think a weight loss newbie should observe:

“Keep it simple, practice the basics and take notice. Be long term”

If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a big fan of long-term, sustainable weight loss. If you’re serious about your health and weight loss goals, I think this is the only approach to take.