Live your best life with lasting weight loss.
Do this. Don’t do that. All the confusing advice about losing weight can make you throw your hands up in frustration. We’re here to clear the air by sharing simple, tried-and-true advice for losing inches and pounds so you can feel fab and healthy. Here are 15 tips for lasting weight loss.
Nothing’s more frustrating than working hard to shed pounds, only to see the scale stop moving down — or worse, start to creep up again. That kind of discouragement can make it seem easier to throw in the sweaty towel and resign yourself to a body you’re not happy with.
But it doesn’t need to be that way. Many women, including Skinny Ms. co-founder Gale Compton, have lost weight and kept it off by making healthy eating and exercise a part of their lifestyle. To learn more, read Gale’s story in How I Lost 30 Pounds and Kept It Off.
1. Eat three small meals and two healthy snacks each day.
Fuel the body with a steady stream of healthy energy and nutrients so you’re less likely to overeat at meals or snack time. 50 Clean-Eating Snacks is a delicious starting point for nourishing snack ideas.
2. Choose whole or minimally-processed food.
Processed foods seem convenient, but you’ll pay a price measured in excess jiggle. Avoid added refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, and sodium by choosing ingredients that have few or no additives. Check out 21 Easy and Quick Clean-Eating Recipes or 5-Day Clean-Eating Dinner Menu.
3. Mind your portions.
One of the most important tips for weight loss is to redefine serving sizes. Learn more in 8 Easy Tips for Controlling Portion Sizes, and then try our 7-Day Portion Control Menu.
4. Plan meals in advance.
Planning nutritious meals reduces the temptation to order unhealthy takeout or prepare processed, boxed, or frozen meals. Set time aside weekly to plan which recipes and snacks you’ll eat during the week. Check out the Guide to Healthy Meal Planning and Skinny Ms. Meal Planning Resources.
5. Boost fruit and veggie intake.
About one-half of every plate of food should contain fruits and vegetables, with the rest divided between grains and protein. Try 6 Creative Ways to Add More Veggies to Your Diet or 3 Vegetable-Infused But Meaty Meals.
6. Don’t drink too many calories.
It’s easy to lose track of calorie intake when you’re drinking sweetened drinks, whether it’s lemonade mixed from powder or an energy drink from the convenience store. Choose plain or naturally-flavored water instead, or sip on 5 Flat Belly Drinks or an Orange Sports Drink.
7. Cut back on refined carbs.
Refined carbs have been stripped of nutrients — but not calories. Avoid foods like pastries, white breads or rolls, and flour tortillas. Choose whole grain foods, which are rich in nutrients and waist-friendly fiber. Homemade Whole Grain Tortillas or Healthy Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits make delicious alternatives.
8. Use smaller plates.
One of the lasting weight loss tips we love is to eat from salad-sized plates and smaller bowls to reduce food intake. Join the Skinny Plate Challenge to jumpstart your weight loss goals.
9. Commit to regular workouts.
You can’t ignore exercise if you’re looking for sure-fire weight loss tips. The key to shedding those pounds is to burn more calories than you consume. Try the Equipment-Free Workout Challenge or any of our Skinny Ms. Workouts.
10. Power up your metabolism with 4-minute workouts.
Tabata-style exercise routines keep your metabolism boosted hours after you’ve squeezed out that last drop of sweat. Get your workout groove on with Beginner’s 4-Minute Fat Blaster Workout or Inferno 4-Minute Fat Burn.
11. Lift weights.
As we age, metabolic slowdown is a major weight gain culprit. We can battle that natural process by building muscle mass. Try the 10-Minute Power Workout, then nourish those muscles with 14 High Protein Lunch & Dinner Recipes for Weight Loss.
12. Set workout goals.
You know where you want to be weight-wise, so build a road map that helps get you there. Establish doable goals and slowly increase them over time. For example, plan to work yourself from a two-mile run to a four-mile run over several weeks.
13. Get the right amount of shut-eye.
Sleep—or lack thereof—affects hormones that regulate hunger. Learn how to get more zzzs in 9 Tips to Get Better Sleep, then try our 6-Minute Workout for Better Sleep.
14. Walk more.
One of the simplest tips for weight loss is to engage muscles and burn extra calories by walking as much as possible throughout the day. Try parking your car on the far end of the office or grocery store parking lot. Walk Your Way Fit offers no-hassle tips for doing a walking workout.
15. Don’t measure success by the scale alone.
Every woman has her own unique size, shape, and genetic make-up, which means there are some differences in what a healthy body looks like. Rather than getting hung up on a number that’s frustrating you, consider other success factors, including:
Do I look and feel better in my clothing?
Do I have more energy now than I did before making these changes?
Do I have lower blood pressure, blood sugar, or cholesterol now?
Check out our Skinny Ms. Clean Overhaul 30-Day Weight Loss Program ebook for a complete program to help you shed inches and pounds.
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