How to lose weight with a balanced diet, exercise and psychology

You are probably aware that the fitness industry is full of magical diets and pills. I believe that much of this is just marketing and losing weight can be easy if you understand a few things.

Losing weight vs. building muscle

These are not the same thing. You need two different approaches for both.

It is probably better to focus on one then the other.

Weight is mainly about what you eat

While exercise can help what you put into your body I believe is the dominate factor in losing weight. Bodies can burn fat differently so you best to assess what is best for you.

Why change your body?

There are several reasons why people change their bodies. The first is to appear more attractive to potential partners.

I know that society is supposed to be more accepting of plus sizes but the fact is that some of us still are attracted to people who are skinny and/or fit. All sizes have people who are attracted to them and there is nothing wrong with this as long as everybody respects each other.

They may just want to fit in with other jocks. They view being a jock as cool and just want to be in the cool group.

They think that it is better for their career. This could be having a career that revolves about looking a certain way. Such careers could include being on TV, a fitness model or a personal trainer.

They might think that it would be better for their career even if they are not in the industries above. If they get hired a lot they may think that being slim will help them.

They might not be good at the intellectual side of things or writing so this is something that they could do. For example my nephew has dyslexia so is more into physical activities.

They could be concerned with health problems that are sometimes associated with being a certain weight.

They just want to challenge themselves. Probably often just like to work towards something and fitness is one example of this.

People often make New Year's resolutions to lose weight.

Food affects you beyond calories

Some food and drinks can be addictive and can make you hungrier. Cola is a good example of this so avoid this and other sugary drinks.

When some people eat they feel bloated and don't want to do anything. Of course you should avoid being in this situation as much as possible. My advice is to eat slightly less each time until you don't get this feeling.

Be aware of the times of days that you eat; you could be better off sticking to a schedule instead of having random snacks throughout the day.

A balanced approach

If you want to get fit you should limit what you eat but going overboard can be a bad idea. While eating too much can leave you with a lack of energy the same can be said for if you eat too little. In my opinion you are better served finding the right balance otherwise this could be damaging to your health and psychology.

When I say if you are not losing weight then you should try eating slightly less I must put an emphasis on the slightly less. Monitor your weight for a few days and if it the number isn't reducing then eat slightly less every few days until the number starts going down.

My friend who diets from time to time told me that she can either have carbs or fat and lose weight but if her diet consists of both she doesn't lose weight.

Psychology plays an important role

If you have trouble with diets it could be that you need to adjust your behavior.

First you need to get rid of the "clean your plate" mentality. You should eat as much as you feel comfortable with. If other people are pressuring you to eat everything on a plate just say that you are dieting and need slightly smaller portions.

If you have no luck with this you may have to insist on serving up your own meals. It is possible that some people will be offended but you need to take control of your life. Changing your behavior could be the best way of reaching your goals and to avoid yoyo dieting.

The problem is a lot of people view wasting food as wasting money, including some in my own family. In my opinion adjusting how you view food is a good way to kick start any diet.

Also you need information to examine if you eat because you're bored or if you have comfort food. I think that you need to kick these habits as soon as possible when dieting.

Also the glorification of food could be an issue. We are taught to love food in part by corporations such as McDonalds. Hopefully you can find healthy food to enjoy and look forward to.

Alcohol and other recreational substances

Some people claim that they have "beer guts" so you might want to avoid or reduce your intake of alcohol. Other recreational substances may make you hungrier than usual so you might want to do the same with those.

Best exercises for weight loss

A cardio workout should serve you well. This can include running at a moderate pace and jumping rope. If you have limited time for workouts you can start cycling to work.

Getting a treadmill is an option if the weather in your area is not suitable enough to exercise in. Click here to view a treadmill with great reviews at Amazon.

Pace yourself

Losing weight may work better if you can pace yourself. As long as your weight is going down until get to your target weight life is all good.

If you want to build long term habits it may make better sense to take things at a steady pace rather than risking losing weight then putting it back on because you didn't build the habits necessary to be at a sustainable weight.

Don't punish yourself

Everyone is allowed treats every now and then. As long as your weight keeps stable every month there is no reason to stress if you break from your diet every few days.

I think that you are less likely to succeed if losing weight is an unpleasant experience. If you make yourself feel bad then you're more likely not to stick with your new life-style.

You could try framing food that you wouldn't normally eat in a less negative light. My nephew who was a personal trainer said to me; "There is no bad food, just food that is better for you"

Please remember that your true friends will like you for you. Going harder just to gain approval fact others is probably not the best way to go about life.

When you have reached your target

Once your target weight has been reached you may want to slightly increase your intake of food until your weight stops going down. You may want to start this process a bit before your target weight is reached to try and stabilize your weight sooner.

If you are building muscle afterwards you may want to put a little weight back on.

Do you need a gym membership or personal trainer?

Everybody is different but you could do without these things. Perhaps you could do with someone to hold you accountable. Though there is no reason why this can't be a friend if they are willing to help.

Of course you can keep yourself accountable by weighing yourself periodically and using an app to monitor your intake of calories.

Gyms can be a great way to schedule times for workouts but some people buy a membership and then only go once. You don't necessarily need a gym membership but if you do try sticking to a schedule.

I hope that this helps

If you want to change your body I hope that you now have the tools and confidence to do this even if you've tried before. You may have to recognize your eating habits and try to change them. Remember not too feel guilty if you occasionally eat extra; as long as your weight is going in the direction that you want it to go it's all good.