I usually get on the scale once every couple of days, just to check in with myself and make sure I’m in my desired weight range. I’ve never had a weight problem although my weight goes up and down somewhat, like most people.
A little while ago, I decided that I didn’t want to be so focused on my weight and weighing myself so often so I skipped the scale for a few weeks. I wanted to see how well I could manage my weight by being conscious of what I ate and how much I exercised.
Apparently, that didn’t work so well because after a few weeks, when I did finally check in, I was unpleasantly surprised by an extra 10 pounds!
I thought to myself, “Well that’s why my pants have felt a little too tight.” I was kidding myself by thinking it was just because I left them in the dryer too long.
At that moment I decided to do something about it.
Here are my baby steps to losing weight, no matter how much.
1. Decide to do something about it RIGHT NOW. Not later, not tomorrow, not next week. NOW. Starting from the moment you decide to lose weight.
2. Create realistic expectations. When I’m losing weight, I don’t want to starve myself. I want to enjoy my days and the things I eat. I don’t want to feel hungry and weak.
My realistic expectation is to lose about two pounds each week. I’ve done this many times before, including the times I lost about 50 pounds after having each of my three children. I know that I can lose about 10 pounds per month, on average, pretty easily.
Without realistic expectations, you’re destined to fail. If my goal were to lose 10 pounds per week, I would give up after the first few days. I know I can do two pounds per week without starving myself and maintain a high energy level. I could go down to one pound a week to ensure my success.
3. Be conscious or mindful of your actions all day, every day. Everything that goes into your mouth, the exercise you do, how much water you drink – everything becomes a conscious decision in order to achieve your goal of weighing a certain weight.
Instead of thinking about the immediate gratification of what you’re about to eat or drink, think, “How will this make me feel tomorrow or later today?” If it’s not going to make you feel better about yourself in the longer term, don’t do it.
Decide not to eat the usual junk.
Decide to eat only healthy food in moderation.
Decide to drink enough water. Enough is: take your weight, divide it by 2. That’s a minimum of how many ounces of water you should drink each day to be hydrated and to flush the junk out of your body.
Decide to take a walk instead of sitting at your desk or watching TV.
Decide to exercise in the morning instead of sleeping longer.
4. Exercise first thing in the morning. I love yoga to wake up my body and stretch and get my muscles warmed up. At the end of my yoga practice, I meditate for 10 or 20 minutes to clear my mind and head into my day with a positive attitude.
5. Eat a nutritious breakfast. When I’m not too concerned about losing weight, some mornings I’ll have a big bowl of oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon and honey.
Most mornings (especially when I’m losing weight) I have scrambled eggs with herbs and sauteed vegetables cooked in butter.
6. Snack throughout the day. You should never be hungry or feel like you’re depriving yourself. Have a snack mid-morning between breakfast and lunch and another mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner. A snack can be anything that’s about 100 calories and healthy (a boiled egg, fruit, a piece of cheese, veggies, nuts). When I’m feeling like I need to treat myself, I have a little piece of dark chocolate. The more protein and fiber in the snack, the longer it will curb your hunger. Avoid refined sugars and carbs that will spike your blood sugar and tempt you with unhealthy cravings.
7. Eat a great lunch. I like to make lunch my biggest meal of the day so I have the rest of the day to burn it off. I’ll have a big salad with plenty of protein or a healthy sandwich. If I’m having a hectic day and don’t have time to sit and enjoy a meal, I’ll have an apple with peanut butter.
8. Take a walk. I find one of the best times to take a walk is when I’m having my late afternoon slump. I make myself get out and walk from 10 to 30 minutes. Just getting outside for a change of scenery and taking some deep breaths can totally change your mindset and your day. Doing it every day can change your body and your life (seriously).
9. Eat a light dinner. A small salad makes a wonderful dinner.
10. Drink tea. I love green tea. I don’t add milk to keep the calories down. I just add a little honey. I love to enjoy a cup in the morning, one after my afternoon walk and another (decaf) to wind down before bed.
11. Cleanse your body a couple times each month. I follow a cleanse that allows me to have all the nutrition my body needs without the calories and weak feeling that some people expect. My energy level always increases after a cleanse day since I’ve rid my body of the extra junk that accumulates from unhealthy toxins that we’re all exposed to every day.
The toxins in our bodies (from processed food, pesticides, polluted air which includes fumes from off-gassing plastics, fabrics and cleaning products and un-pure water from most municipal sources) are one of the largest causes of people’s inability to lose weight (right behind people’s lack of desire to change their daily habits for the long-term).
12. Rinse and repeat. Turn this routine into a daily habit. If it’s all too much of a change from your current routine, pick one thing you can change for the next few days. Once you’re comfortable with that change, add another one. Keep it going until you lose all the weight you want.
To learn more about how you can convert your own patterns into a healthy and mindful eating lifestyle, check out my Mindful Body Program which offers a much more comprehensive plan that you can use to create your own healthy habits.
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To your happiness! ~Paige
You can find this book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Indigo.
The Mindful Living Guide
Great tips
You can also reduce weight by playing games that need much body changing positions like football, tennis, and pickleball too. In this list, pickleball is best as you can play it in the home garden too and it helps to move your legs much fast than anyone.
Artigo de boa qualidade,muito gostei!! Vou compartilhar com meus amigos
Thanks for posting such a wonderful health post. Its highly informative.
very simple steps, & very well described. A job well done. I’m glad you mentioned dark chocolate in your article. It’s very nutritious & it can lower the risk of having heart disease. I have a whole article written all about how dark chocolate can be conducive to sound health.
Nice list I find it interesting. Keep up to the good work
Very thorough article. I’ll try following those step and who knows maybe I even lose some weight!
Thanks for sharing this,
take care
Johanatan
Glad to see walking made your list- I think it’s the easiest and probably most underrated activity. My wife and I also keep active playing pickleball- it gets you moving and is relatively low impact.
These were some great tips Paige, thanks for sharing them!
Thank you, Paige!
I also believe in the power of the Now. So let’s go!
I loved this article!
Beautiful insentient, congratulations on your article Jennifer!
love you connected those as baby steps…. i dont think there are a lot of secrets to lose weight.. we all know … it’s just a matter of start!
I’m glad I’ve found your blog. My therapist gave me homework to learn about mindfulness and your simple mindfulness page on Facebook was one of the first I found. My biggest current hurtle is my weight. My mind is consumed with thoughts of how I feel myself move in space, how clothes fit, how people see me and how discussted I feel about myself and believe others should and do think the same of me. In turn I’ve become very depressed and have just gained even more weight. I know I’m at the very beginning of a very long road and just wanted to make sure you know the peace you’ve found for yourself is inspiring to me. Thank you!
Thank you so much Michelle! I’m actually working on my first program, Mindful Body, that addresses many of the issues you’re facing. I hope to have in out in the next couple of months. In the meantime, I offer coaching services if you think I could support you further.
Mindfulness is key to developing awareness of what your core issues are. Diets usually don’t work because, like most drugs, they deal with superficial symptoms, not core causes. If you want to fix the problem, you have to face and deal with the core issues which can sometimes be very hard to do (or not).
You might want to also read my “Mindful Body” post which is the basis of my upcoming program. And a great book is Don Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements.”
Best wishes in your journey! Please let me know how I can support you further!
Brandon,
I haven’t read Tim’s latest book yet. It’s next on my reading list. Given how he turns conventional “wisdom” on its head in 4 Hour Workweek, I can’t wait to see what he does in the diet and exercise arena.
Let me know what your experiences are!
Paige
Great tips Paige. Have you read 4 hour body? I’m trying out the diet and exercise plans tim lays out there. I’m curious what you think of it.