Source: Organize Yourself Skinny.com
6. Tracking food
Next to portion control, tracking food is one of the most powerful tools with losing weight. In order to make any changes with food you need to know what you are eating and more importantly how much. Some people will say that counting calories or tracking food is tedious and too time consuming. Yes it does take a little time up front however the rewards in my opinion far out weigh any inconvenience.
Plus, once you become more aware of the food you are eating you may not need to track as much. However, I have ALWAYS found it helpful to fall back on tracking whenever I have gotten off track.
7. Prioritize exercise
In order to reach your goal weight and sustain that weight loss you have to prioritize exercise. When you combine a healthy diet with exercise you will see results. Not only will your body change and look better but your mood will change and you will have much more energy.
Now don’t get scared cause I am not saying you need to run marathons or spend hours in the gym. But you do need to get sweaty a few times a week. Find what works for your lifestyle and make a commitment to exercise 3-4 times a week.
8. Eat every few hours
I hate being hungry. When I am hungry I tend to get headaches, crabby, and become totally fixated on food. It really is not a pretty sight. So I have learned that instead of eating 3 bigger meals with long periods of time in-between I do much better with eating 5 smaller meals a day. This helps keep me satisfied all day and prevents me (most of the time) from making bad food choices.
9. Find healthy substitutions for favorite foods
I think the biggest myth with losing weight is you must give up your favorite foods. This is not true at all. In fact, I have found it to be the exact opposite. If you want to lose weight and sustain that weight lost you need to find a way to continue enjoying the foods you love. Once you start to feel deprived is when your efforts to create healthier habits will crumble. You want to create eating habits you can live with forever.
10. Stay hydrated
I never really concerned myself with hydration. I always thought I drank enough water. However, once I started drinking smoothies in the morning I realized that maybe I was not properly hydrated before. Because when I drink smoothies I feel alert all day, never get headaches, and have a ton of energy that lasts me all the way till night. When I don’t drink them I feel the opposite.
Drinking my smoothies not only give me a good dose of fruits and veggies but it also gives me a lot of water and liquid to hydrate my body. For me it is difficult to fully hydrate my body with just drinking water all day. If that works for you great but I have found smoothies to really help with hydration. If you find yourself tired all the time and not having energy try doing more to hydrate yourself because that could be the issue.