50 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight

What comprises a body transformation? Read on!

Trying to lose weight can be frustrating when you’re just starting out. When making any healthy change to your lifestyle, remember that your meals don’t have to be completely different or without flavor and that exercise is fun. Your main obstacle is going to be yourself. That your healthy diet change is a lifestyle change – no going back. Here are 50 healthy ways to lose weight all separated into four nifty, easy to remember categories.

I. Food
1. Nourish your body.
Counting calories can lead to a diet free of fats, sugars, and nutrients. Fat and natural sugars found in foods such as fruit and vegetables are vital for bodily function. Eat foods you know to be good for you like lean meats, whole grains, and healthy fats.

2. Eat your vegetables.
Not only will veggies make you feel super full without all the extra calories, but they are packed with essential nutrients. This is a classic example of how to make your calories count. Try these recipes for ways to eat more veggies.

3. Make the foods love healthier.
It is not terribly hard to replace your pizza crust with cauliflower or to bake your chicken instead of frying it.

4. Replace unhealthy food with healthier versions.
A snack does not have to be “snack food,” but it could be your favorite fruit or vegetable with a healthy and delicious dip. Find healthy foods you love and add them into your diet so it does not seem like you are cutting out all the best foods.

5. Have cleaned and cut fruits and vegetables ready to go in your fridge.
Most of the time, a snack is a ready-to-go item good for a quick munch. There is no time to be cleaning your fruit or cutting up a carrot. Make sure you have no excuse and prepare your healthy snacks in advance.

Baked Apple Chips

6. Lose your water weight.
This quick and significant loss is going to boost your confidence and give you a good start to your diet. Add foods like broccoli, cucumber, and spinach to your snack routine to help you lose that retained water that is making your bloat.

7. Say goodbye to processed foods.
Know what you are putting into your body. Treat it like a temple and do not profane it with chemicals. If you cannot pronounce it, put it back.

8. Cut out the artificial sweeteners.
Unless you have a medical condition prohibiting real sugar, go for the real deal, such as coconut palm sugar, stevia, honey or any of these all-natural unrefined sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners do not work. Your body knows it is not getting the sugar it requires, and it will crave the real thing. Use of the artificial will only increase your craving.

9. Fiber! Fiber! Fiber!
Make sure the foods you eat are giving you your required serving of fiber. Though it is not a miracle weight-loss substance, the fiber you obtain from healthy foods will make you feel fuller faster, thus decreasing your appetite and increasing your weight-loss ability.

10. Eat spicy, flavorful foods.
It just sounds right that hot foods will help burn calories and jump-start your metabolism, but flavorful foods have another trick up their sleeves. The stronger the flavor, the faster the signal telling the brain that your are, indeed, eating a meal. Eat delicious foods and let your brain in on the action sooner!

II. Exercise

30 Day Beginners Running Challenge
11. Burn more calories than you take in.
Seems pretty obvious, but with all these diets proclaiming miracle foods and methods, it is easy forget the obvious. Exercise is going to make you very happy with your diet.

12. Cardio.
Running is a classic exercise for a reason: your body is going to burn fat to keep up. Try downloading our free 5K Running Guide for Absolute Beginners it starts with cardio walking and alternates/ Cardiovascular workouts are the best way to melt the fat off.

13. Yoga.
True, you can burn more calories with cardio and aerobic exercises in one hour than with yoga. The benefits of yoga are mostly in setting a good mindset-foundation. Yoga includes routines that help people become more in tune with their bodies; understanding how their bodies work and move in a very calm way so they can see what their body needs by way of exercise and nutrition. New to yoga? Here the types of yoga are explained.

14. Strength-training.
Muscle burns an average of 25 more calories than fat does while at rest. Strength of body may also create a strength of mind, giving you more confidence. Try this Fat Burning, Muscle-Building Workout.

15. Replace Happy Hour with Healthy Hour.
Do a fun, active activity with your friends after work. Go for a run or a walk. Hit the gym or play your new fitness video game. Just make it fun and active. If you have a family at home, include them by taking the Family Fitness Challenge.

III. Psychology

50 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight
16. Keep a food journal.
Recording everything you eat seems tedious and maybe even a little embarrassing, but it is a sure way to help you understand why you eat what you eat and why you eat when you do. Record your meal, when you ate it, and how you felt before, during, and after you ate. When you understand why you do something, it is going to be easier to remedy.

17. Share your meals.
Sharing a meal with a friend or family member can help you bond with them, yes, but it can also prevent you from consuming excess calories. Sharing an order is what some of our readers have said they do in restaurants when taking the Skinny Plate Challenge.

18. Make your workout fun.
You do not have to drive to gym to exercise. Play outside with your dog, walk around the park with a friend, or play on a soccer team. Just do something to be strong and active!

19. Refresh your music collection.
If you dread your hour at the gym, give yourself something to look forward to: get some new music you like. Now the gym is a wonderful excuse to pop in those earbuds and rock out to that new album. We’ve put together some fun playlists such as our Couch to Gym Workout Playlist and The Power Hour Playlist.

 

13 Deliciously Clean Alternatives to Soda
20. Get rid of the diet soda.
Drinking diet soda can make you feel that you deserve a reward. This means you are much more likely to have that extra cupcake or slice of pizza. Cut the diet soda and drink a healthy juice or water with lemon instead. Try taking our 30-Day No Soda Challenge. Besides adding a touch of juice to seltzer or mineral water, you can try these making some recipes from these 13 Clean Alternatives to Soda.

21. Make your diet a team effort.
Get healthy with a friend or two or three or four! This way you have people you with whom you can complain and celebrate your victories!
Follow us on Facebook and comment with others who are working on their weight loss goals.

22. Set attainable goals.
You are not going to lose 50 lbs the first week – at least not without seriously damaging your body. Make goals to change your dessert to a yogurt, such as our Strawberries in Balsamic Yogurt Sauce, or to eat a delicious and balanced breakfast. These are easily done and brilliant ways to help your diet.

23. Do not grocery shop when you are hungry.
This one may already be obvious from personal experience. You are more likely to make food mistakes and deviate from your carefully thought out list when your hunger whets your appetite for donuts and chips.
Try to add a few different items each week to your shopping list from our 50 Superfoods Shopping List- Plus Recipes.

24. Stop weighing yourself every day.
Your weight-loss will seem slow, and you will lose hope that your diet is working. A weekly weigh-in will keep you on track and give you victories enough to know the diet is working. Healthy weight-loss is gradual. Give it time.

25. Double your side.
When eating out, get a double serving of veggies when offered two side dishes. Practice this when creating your plate at home too. Roasted Broccoli with Red Peppers , Dijon Roasted Cabbage, Curry Roasted Acorn Squash make tasty veggie side dishes. A side salad such as our Classic Cucumber and Tomato Salad is also a good idea for a side.

26. Love yourself.
Compliment yourself. Give yourself some credit. When you stick to your diet or replace something unhealthy with healthy foods, you are allowed to get excited. Make yourself an extra special lean and healthy dinner and give yourself a pat on the back! Our Skinny Lasagna Rolls are easy to make and freeze and are an award winning favorite.

IV. Lifestyle Change

50 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight

27. Do not skip meals.
Skipping lunch will mean a huge dinner. Starving and indulging yourself wreaks havoc on your metabolism. In fact, you can eat 5 small meals, including snacks, through out they day instead, like in our 5 Daily Menus.

28. Keep busy so you do not eat out boredom.
Eating is common when people need something to do with their hands. Do not let your boredom dictate your weight. Stay active and moving to avoid the pitfalls of idle hands.

29. Drink lots of water.
This is an excellent way to stave off hunger until your next healthy snack or meal. Just be sure you drink slowly so the water hits your bloodstream instead of just flushing straight through you.

The Forever Weight Loss Fridge
30. Get tempting foods out of the house.
When it comes to your health, wastefulness is not an excuse. Get the junk out of your life. Here are some ideas to Organize Your Pantry for Weight Loss and to Organize Your Fridge for Weight Loss.

31. Eat from a real plate at a real table.
Fridge grazing leads to overeating of the wrong things.

32. Use a smaller plate.
It is a habit to eat whatever portions are in front of you. Make those portions small and use a saucer. If you would like to, take our Small Plate Challenge.

33. Portion out your meal via your plate.
You can fill half your plate with veggies and some fruit. Put your whole grain in a quarter of the plate, and fill the last quarter with your lean meat or protein-packed food item.

34. Plan your meals and snacks.
This way you can prepare your healthy meals in advance, making your homemade dinner seem better and as easy as the pizza you could pick up. Download our free Clean Eating Menu Planner.

35. Cook your own meals.
Being involved in the preparation of your meals means you know what is in it. Remember: your body is your temple.

36. Do not starve yourself.
This shuts down your metabolism. Your body  will think you are heading into famine conditions, and it will quickly begin to store energy as fat from any food you do eventually consume; all to help you survive this famine you created for yourself.

37. Take a break from eating.
Eat when you are active and let your digestive system get its work done. Eat your last meal a little early and give yourself a good 14 hours before you break your fast.

 

50 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight 003

38. Wake up with the sun.
Or as close as you can. Sleeping abnormal and varying hours can mess with your internal clock and your metabolism.

39. Get your eight hours in.
Hunger, overeating, and weight gain are all direct effects of lack of sleep. Quality sleep is essential for weight-loss. Make yourself a simple glass of chamomile tea before bedtime or try these 3 Yoga Classes for Better Sleep.

40. Eat small, healthy portions throughout the day.
Your meals should not be more than 300 calories each with two 200-250 calorie snacks. Remember that you need to expend these calories throughout the day to lose weight. Try our 7 Day Weight Loss Menu that has small meals and snacks.

41. Eat when you are hungry, not when you are told you should eat.
You may have to be a little strict at first, but once you know the difference between hunger and boredom, you can eat healthy when you are hungry, not just because it is a mealtime.

Cranberry Apple Sparkler
42. Drink less alcohol.
Alcohol is a lot of calories and sugar that make you want more calories and sugar. Not to mention, your “patented” hangover cure is likely high in fat and calories. Our Sparkling Mint Lime QuencherCranberry Apple Sparkler, and our  Sparkling Pomegranate juice are some ideas for mocktails to unwind with or have at a gathering instead of alcohol.

43. You can eat less healthy foods.
Just eat them in small portions. Not allowing yourself to eat things you love can keep you frustrated and resentful, which might make you give up on that positive lifestyle change. Check out some of our Skinny Mini Desserts.

44. Stop eating out every night.
This tip will save you money and calories.

45. Switch up your routine.
Impromptu drinks or desserts do not have to spell disaster for your diet. By making small, healthy changes in your daily routine, you can treat yourself to a guilt-free margarita.

 

50 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight

46. Quit smoking (if you do).
Smoking is going to make exercise a lot harder. Do yourself a favor and quit this unhealthy habit.

47. Do not buy snacks while you grocery shop.
Making a snack a thing you have to go out of your way to get will make you less likely to want it.

48. Stop binge-watching television.
You burn more calories sleeping than sitting on the couch. Use the time to get in some sit-ups, do some lunges, or even take a well-deserved nap. If you do watch the occasional show or the news, get your workout in while watching by taking the Couch Workout Challenge.

49. Do not skip breakfast.
If you do not eat after 30 minutes of waking up, your body will set itself to store energy throughout the day, thinking it will not get enough food during the day. Eating a good 300 calories of protein, whole grains, and fruit will give your metabolism the kick start it needs.

50. Remember that this diet is really a lifestyle change.
Dieting is a short-term thing, but your weight-loss is long-term and lasting; it requires a change in your life.

For most people, losing weight is a struggle, and most of that can be attributed to use of short-term, fad diets. Weight-loss is lifestyle change meant for the long-term. These 50 tips are just some of the healthy ways to help you lose weight. Make sure you get low-calorie nourishment from your food, sweat off those calories you take in, keep a healthy, positive attitude, and remember that you’re making a gradual change in your routine. Follow a healthy lifestyle, and you will be sure to lose those unwanted pounds!

For recipes and more tips on staying healthy, check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages along with our Newsletter!

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SkinnyMs.

The SkinnyMs. team believes that all people, regardless of age, size, and fitness level, have the power to transform their lives — they just need the resources to do so. The SkinnyMs. method promotes healthy living through a combination of clean eating and regular exercise. We offer everything you need to be successful.

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3 Comments

  1. I had to have my thyroid removed and am wondering with all the “speed up your metabolism” articles I read can they apply to folks like me?

    1. Marie, That’s a question for your doctor. I’m sure what the correlation is between having your thyroid removed and the speed of metabolism.

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