You want to lose some weight. Last night you promised yourself that you will start your diet on the next morning. But today when you wake up, you “forget” your promise and you skip breakfast, eat fatty burger for lunch, and you decide to drive straight to home instead of hitting the gym after office. At the end of the day, you realize that you have lost your first day of diet.
Sometimes it’s really hard to start a new diet habit. Many excuses are made, and when we successfully started the diet, sometimes we are too tempted to break the rules. And then, the system is broken, making you need to start all over again.
If you feel that you are not ready with the big change in your life, you can start with small things. These small changes are believed to result in big effects for your diet program. Who knows these changes will lead you to a bigger change and newer you!
Switch to water
If you always drink a cup of coffee, bottled fruit juice, or basically other high-sugar drinks every morning, then starting from today, try to switch to plain water. Beverages with high level of sugar also contain high calories which is not good for your diet plan.
Have breakfast
Never skip breakfast if your main goal is to lose some pounds. There is a simple reason behind this. When you had breakfast, you will tend to eat less during lunch and dinner. You also will lose appetite to unhealthy snacks and drinks all day.
Plan your meals
A study from the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University found that longer delays between placing an order and picking up the meal are associated with reductions in calorie content. It is also advised for you to order the meals at least one hour before meal time. At that moment, your appetite tends to be lower so you’ll choose lesser menus.
Cut 100 calories per day
Did you know that you only need to cut 100 calories per day in order to lose weight? You can achieve this by replacing your favorite potato chips with a bowl of fresh fruit. Don’t see this as a trivial thing, but come think about this: if you cut 100 calories a day, it means that you cut 700 calories a week—which will give some significant change later.
Cook your own meals
When you cook your meals by yourself, you have full control of the ingredients and seasoning. It is believed that people who cook by themselves tend to consume more fruits and vegetables, and reduce salt and sugar intake. This will prevent you from taking unhealthy meals from restaurants (which are usually over-seasoned with artificial seasoning) and eat in a more moderate amount.
Walk 30 minutes a day
If you don’t have time for gym, at least spare 30 minutes for walking. After lunch, for example, you can walk on the park near your office. Or, instead of driving your own vehicle, you can use public transportation which requires you to walk to and from the station. Walking will not only burn some calories, but also refresh your mind.
Lift some weights
If you’ve joined the gym, then make sure that you never skip weightlifting. This activity will increase your muscle mass, while in the same time reduce your fat mass. Weightlifting can help you to reach that firm, toned body faster.
