20 Ways to Lose 20 Pounds

The truth is: the more you have to lose, the quicker you can lose it.

It is frustrating to lose weight so successfully to then find your momentum comes to a screeching halt.

Maybe you have become lax with your weight-loss efforts. It happens! So, this may be a little refresher course or reminders of things to do:

Drink Enough Water

The studies have proven: the more water you drink, the weight you lose.
In addition to this fact, often we think we are hungry when we are actually just thirsty! We should be getting at least 64 ounces of water per day.

Decrease your portion size

Have you stopped measuring your portions? Have you stopped reading labels? When we get lax on our portion sizes, we usually eat more than what we realize.

Stop eating processed food

From a box, a bag, a can, or anything packaged with preservatives can leave us with more sodium and carbs than we need. Meal prepping is essential to weight-loss and weight maintenance.

Avoid dining out too often

You are taking the control out of your hands. You subject yourself to increased calories, carbs, sodium, and again…the portion sizes at restaurants is crazy!

Read the labels

Are you still flipping the package over and reading the nutrition label? Do you know how many calories are in a serving and what a serving size looks like? Or, are you now just haphazardly eating things without thinking if that food is a “forward food” or a “backward food”?

Stop adding fluff to your food

sauces
creams
marinades
dressings
toppings
All of these mean extra calories!

Cut back on the alcohol

Alcohol, spirits, or wine are added calories you may be neglecting to count. The more you drink, the more you are going to eat as well because you have lowered your inhibition and ability to make good choices. To learn how to make good drink choices, read my blog on Low Calorie Cocktails.

Move a little more

If you are eating the same but moving less, you may need to cut back your calories to increase the weight-loss momentum. Although exercise does not make a big impact on weight-loss, creating an energy deficit is essential. Especially when you are down to those last few pounds.

Get enough zzzz’s

If you are failing to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night, your body is working against your weight-loss efforts. We make two hormones that directly effect our hunger level and the lack of sleep shifts the balance of these hormones. Leptin, when in greater numbers can curb our appetite and decrease eating. Ghrelin, on the other hand, works the opposite. When we fail to sleep properly, we make more Ghrelin resulting in increased hunger and excessive eating.

Know your triggers

Is it stress, anxiety, anger, sadness, happiness, boredom? Sometimes it is a circumstance but often it can be a place, an emotion, a suggestion, or just exposure to a food you have difficulty saying no to?

Self-monitoring always

Have you lost your food journal? Ignoring your fitness app?

Self-monitoring is the #1 predictor of weight-loss success and maintaining your goal weight.

Stay away from empty calories

Sugary beverages, a handful of candy here and there? Bread before your entree’?

Stop starving yourself

Food is the fuel that stokes our furnace (metabolic furnace, that is). Yo-yo dieting, fasting too much, going without food, or depriving yourself of the RIGHT foods can lead to lowered metabolism.

Lowered metabolism almost guarantees you will not be able to lose weight.

Limit those starches

Breads, pastas, potatoes, and grains… OH MY!

Carbs, carbs, carbs…

Always be Mindful

Eating without thought. Like when watching TV, in front of your computer, on your phone, in your car, standing up, at your desk…

Accountability

Failing to weigh yourself daily or weekly. Dumping your weight-loss buddy who kept you on track.

It is easy to let ourselves down, but hard to disappoint others. Declaring your weight-loss goals insures we try harder.

Stepping on the scales, looking in the mirror, and having a friend or family member to answer to or talk to can make a difference!

Having a Health Coach is the best way to stay accountable and on track.

Decrease your stress

Stress can lead to overeating but it also causes a metabolic reaction in our bodies that makes it impossible to lose weight. Cortisol levels sore and we stay in “fight or flight”. This self-preservation mode causes our bodies to store fat and not let us burn anything.

Know your macros

Having a definite diet plan is essential. There are so many fad diets and diet plans out there, it can be confusing. Are you low calorie, low fat, or low carb? You cannot practice a combo.

“If you don’t know why, you will never know how”

Always be prepared

Preparation is the key to success. Meal planning, meal prepping, and knowing where you will eat and what you will eat when you arrive. Essential factors to weight-loss and weight maintenance.

Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses

Each of us have strengths that can insure our success in life. However, most of us tend to focus on what we “are not good at” and as we make effort to try and be better, we fail to see what we are good at!

Focus on what you “are GOOD at” and make your strengths work for you.

You can do it! I believe in you:

Dr. Angela