Discover Some New Weight Loss Tips for Lasting Weight Loss

By Brad Morgan

Losing weight is one of the most difficult things that many people face in their everyday life, especially if it has been a life-long battle. Often, you are your own worst critic, repeating criticisms over and over:

* I need to lose at least fifty pounds.

* I am ruining my health with this extra weight.

* I've got to get moving and lose weight!

These thoughts overwhelm and frustrate us, which can stall our weight loss efforts and perpetuate the problem. Also overwhelming is the sheer amount of weight loss tips out there.

Instead of letting the critical thoughts and avalanche of tips drown you in inertia, try the following strategies:

1. Make one change every week.

You probably know from previous efforts to lose weight that trying to change your entire life overnight leads to failure. Choosing one new habit - cutting down your sugar, adding a few days of exercise, getting more fiber, etc. ? can help you make more lasting changes.

Your body needs repetition in order for something to become habit, so that week should give you time to incorporate the good habit. Plus, it is manageable. Everyone can change one thing. You then build from there. Start small, and you'll see big results.

2. Concentrate on one aspect of fitness at a time.

When you are trying to lose weight, the best approach is to make lasting changes in your lifestyle. Because it is so hard to change ingrained habits like going from a couch potato with bad eating habits to a fit, healthy person, it is best to start with one major area of weight loss.

Work out regularly. Take the stairs; park farther away. All these quick weight loss tips work. Give them a try. When you feel like you have a handle on fitness, then begin to incorporate more changes into your diet.

Drastically overhauling both your physical and eating habits can be hard to manage if you do them at the same time. To make lasting changes, focus on one area at a time.

3. Make changes with a friend.

Change can be easier if you have help. It doesn't matter if it is your friend, child, spouse, parent, or neighbor; any support can help.

Having someone to support you helps a great deal, and people with a good support network tend to lose weight and keep it off more effectively than those going it alone.

Also, being the one to encourage the other also helps you stick to your own goals better. Tackle small changes together to make them permanent parts of your lifestyle.

4. Take your own advice

You would never advise your child or a valued friend to go on a fad diet, starve her/himself, exercise obsessively, or abandon all pleasures in pursuit of weight loss. You would advise them to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and not give up because the weight will come off.

It is hard to take the same advice for yourself, though, because you want results fast. But take a minute to listen to yourself and what you know to be true. Don't hurt your body or your chances at lasting weight loss.

If you have struggled with weight loss, you know that "diets" don't work. Instead of following every new fad, use the above tips to make lasting changes in your life and weight.

If you approach weight loss healthfully and realistically, you will achieve your goals. And doing it wisely is your best chance of keeping the weight off for good.

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