10 Simple Ways to Lose Weight

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That's Right... You CAN do It!

Losing Weight can be hard...  It conjours up images of constant starving, rice cakes, and endless sit-ups.

But I am here to tell you.. this is NOT so.  I needed to lose 25 pounds.  I kept ignoring it, and thought I was still .."OK".  I am 5'10" and thought "I can hide it".  But in reality, my blood pressure started to climb.  I did not want to take meds, unless I had to.  So my Doctor gave me an ultimatum.. get rid of the weight..

I asked all my friends about diets and exercise, and some of them went on Atkins diets, some on starvation diets... and most of them felt like CRAP.  I thought what is the point of looking good in that new outfit, if you feel like CRAP.  So I devised my own plan.  It may seem slow, but it WORKED, and I am keeping it off.

Here are 10 simple ways to lose weight, and keep it off,  and they all work... but you have to be patient, this is slower but much easier to do, and you feel just fine while doing it.  Just a quick note here.  They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit and 21 days to get rid of a bad one.. so give yourself some time inbetween changes.
  

1.  Get familiar with labels on your food.  I don't mean you have to stand there figuring out every calorie, but just get into the habit of looking at the label.

2.  Take your most routine days, which for most people are Monday to Friday, (leaving your weekends to do what you want). 

3.  Now this part you only have to do at the beginning, and then hopefully not again.. but literally write down everything you eat in a routine day.. I mean EVERYTHING.

4.  Now instead of figuring out how many calories you are eating etc... (probably too many anyways!)  look at ways to "change out" some of your regular foods.  Example:.  I love Ham and Cheddar cheese sandwiches.  I looked at the cheese package I usually buy (those long cheddar bars that you slice yourself) only to discover there are so many calories, they won't even list it in slices, they list it in 1 inch cubes.  If you cut a one inch slice off of that slab, then you are getting THREE of these 1 inch cubes, and at 140 calories per cube, that means if you sliced that cheese up on your sandwich, you are getting 420 calories right there!. 

 So, here is your goal, either switch to a much lighter brand of cheese, or slice very very thinly.. or do what I did, and get rid of the cheese, and use mustard or steak sauce, to change the flavor completely, since with ham and cheese you are likely to be using mayo.. which is 100 calories per knifeful. 

In Actual fact you could save yourself 500 calories just in your sandwich!  That is the main goal here... You probably could even add more ham if it is lean, and not really feel the change at all.

5.  The goal here is to NOT get rid of your favorite foods, or when you eat them, but to change them out.  Because you are doing this slowly, you are less likely to notice the change.  Try to find 500 calories in any day, by changing the brand of your products.. such as your bread, or even your cookies!.  I always ate whole wheat bread, which is good for you.. but if you look at the labels, there is a HUGE difference in calories per slice.  Depending on how many slices of bread are in your day, even 35 calories per slice adds up.  So, look at different brands of bread and read the label.  So, I changed my brand of bread and saved over 100 calories in a day, but I still eat bread!.

So, far we have dealt with cheese on your sandwich, mayo, and bread.  Sometimes just changing the flavor a bit, will make it feel like you are NOT missing out on anything.  Start checking out different mustards, since they are low calorie, and mostly ZERO fat.  Or pickles on your sandwich, or steak sauce... try something a little different.

Do, not get rid of your snacks, just replace them with a different brand that has a few less calories, such as cookies, there is a HUGE difference between brands in calories, and I don't mean "low fat brands".  (I find they can be tasteless!).  I mean actual Brand Name foods, that just make their product with a few less calories...   

This Complete Calorie Counter Book  is a great book, because it has all the different grocery store brands and all their calories.

This is another great way to change out your calories, you can plan your purchases from home.  Think of your most favorite foods, and see if you can switch them out with another brand that has fewer calories. 

This way you don't have to "give up" anything.  I found there was a big different in brand name breads and their calorie counts, and I don't mean "diet or low fat breads"  just regular brand name breads.  So get this book,  and plan your groceries and your new waistline.!

.6. You need to find 3500 calories to lose ONE pound. By finding 500 calories a day, during your week, you are getting rid of 2500 calories. Keep your weekend to let lose a bit, you need some days without restrictions.. but to tell you the truth I noticed that once I started losing weight, I didnt' eat as much on the weekend.

7. Do NOT weigh yourself constantly, pick a day, any day, and do it once a week. I did not notice any weightloss for the first two weeks, I thought about giving up, then all of a sudden in the third week 2 pounds came off.  So, please stick with it.

8. The trick is, to make these changes without feeling deprived. I continued to lose about 2 pounds a month for a year.. and there was my 24 pounds. I am a creature of habit, and like to eat all the time... meals and snacks. so just by changing the brands of my foods... I lost the weight, even eating cookies!

9. You can speed this up a bit, if you add a walk to your life. But don't frett over this, just take the stairs, instead of the elevator, and walk further to your car, or walk your dog.

10. Be PROUD of yourself.. this is a journey, and if you allow yourself the time it takes for these changes to be habit forming, then you will be a winner. Sometimes that scale will not seem like it is moving.. but if you are following the plan, and changing out your habit foods for something with a little less calories, by changing the brand, instead of cutting it out... you will notice weight coming off..

This worked for me.. my friends all laughed at first, when I was still eating sandwiches (yes with bread!) snacks, and everything.. and said "you will never lose weight that way" I looked at their plate of carrot sticks and no carbs, and said NO THANKS.... but they were asking me more questions about my weightloss when they saw it was working. 

Remember... by doing it this way, you still eat the way you did, you do NOT starve, you do not take pills, and you still enjoy your food, and your life..  It may seem slow at first, but by the time your friends have lost their 10 pounds fast, and then put it back on again, when they could no longer keep up the starvation diets.. you will be steadily losing yours... the healthy way!

Just a side note here:  My blood pressure dropped after 12 pounds came off.. that is all it really took.  If I had done NOTHING, I would have been on meds.. but just a few tweaks in my day, and it worked out.

Also see: How Losing Weight Slowly Wins the Race for more details, and What is the Best Way to Lose Weight if you have know will power!. 

GOOD LUCK... I know you CAN DO IT!