15 Tips to Lose Annoying Holiday Pounds

Automated PDF to Text preview page 4 to 6:

Breakfast should be much more than just a donut and coffee! You need to have a healthy balance of fruit, proteins and grains. Eat whole grains instead of the white breads or refined cereals for added health benefits. Protein will help you stay full for longer, as well.

2. Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals!
The next thing you need to do is to set a reasonable goal for your weight loss. There is no way that you are going to lose 20 pounds in one week and be healthy. A reasonable goal is to aim to lose one to 2 pounds each week. It is possible to lose a little bit more in your first week, but that is usually water weight and not weight that will stay off. Do not try to lose too much weight too soon. If you try to aim for a large amount of weight loss in a short amount of time, you will most likely have your efforts backfire. A good plan is to cut your daily intake of calories by about 500 each day and then add at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise each day. The exercise does not have to be too strenuous, but it does need to be enough to raise your heart rate and to make you break a sweat. By using these two parts of a weight loss regimen together, you will have the most effective combination.

3. Do Not Use a Crash Diet!
Do not use a crash diet in order to try to lose weight quickly. If you cut your calories too much, then your body will go into what is called "starvation mode." This will mean that your body will actually go into a state where it tries its hardest to conserve every calorie it can because it believes that there is a shortage of food.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, and it is very handy if you are stranded out on a deserted island somewhere, but it is a pain when you are trying to lose the pounds you gained from eating 10 different turkey dishes between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

4. Follow a Sensible Eating Plan
A sensible eating plan means that you do not abstain from entire food groups (such as on high protein diets) or simply eat one food (such as with the Cabbage Soup Diet). Your best bet is to use a sensible eating plan and make sure you have a well-balanced (but moderate) diet. Eat a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates, and (healthy) fats ­ such as the ones found in nuts and fish oils.

5. Incorporate Regular Exercises in Your Daily Routine!
Make sure you add regular exercise into your weight loss plan. Not only will it help you feel better, add muscle mass, and lose weight faster ­ but it will also help keep your body from slipping into "survival mode" by keeping your metabolism high. Walking is one of the best exercises you can do. It is very easy to start, and you do not need any expensive equipment. All you need is a pair of shoes (suitable for walking ­ with good traction and support) and a place to walk. You can also start very simply and then increase your exercise level easily by walking longer distances or across a different type of terrain (such as over hills or up an incline).

You should build up to walking 4 miles per day. This will be about one hour of exercise; however, do not feel like you have to start off walking one hour to begin with. If all you can do is walk for a few minutes at first, then just walk for the few minutes. Gradually increase the amount of time you walk each day. Do not strain yourself! If you try to do too much too soon, you will sabotage your efforts. Walking with a friend makes exercise easier and more pleasant. Walking and socializing at the same time is a lot more fun than simply walking by yourself. It also makes you less likely to skip exercising. If you know that you are supposed to meet someone each day at a certain time, and that person is counting on you, then you are much less likely to "play hooky." Sometimes simply knowing that you would have to make the phone call to your friend and not go will give you the incentive to exercise. (Of course, it helps when your friend is motivated to walk, too!) Don't let the weather give you an excuse for no
t exercising. While it's great to able to walk outside and get some fresh air, walking indoors is perfectly acceptable. Just make sure that you can find somewhere that will let you be out of the elements but where you can also get up a pretty good speed for walking. Enclosed malls and school/health club gymnasiums work very well. Some health clubs have an indoor track for this purpose.