If you’ve ever watched a weight loss ad, you’ve been told over and over again how easy it is to lose weight: just take this pill, follow this diet, or buy this equipment, and everything will magically melt away. . Literally billions of dollars are spent each year on weight loss products and services, yet millions remain overweight.1
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| Reasons why it is difficult to lose weight |
Overview
If you’re struggling to lose weight, you know there are no shortcuts. A key strategy for losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat.2 As simple as it sounds, this usually isn’t the case. It’s not just about finding the time to exercise or choosing the salad over the burger; it’s about making a real commitment to your daily health, whatever the ups and downs.
To that end, here are 10 things you will need to look at to get you on a healthy weight loss path:
Your attitude
If you are only on a healthy kick to lose weight or look a certain way, it will be difficult to lose weight permanently. Losing weight is a great goal, but finding something else to motivate yourself can help.
It takes time to lose weight and you need to motivate yourself throughout the trip. One way is to find more reasons to be healthy. Remember all the benefits of exercise, including increased energy, better mood, and a better night’s sleep, to name a few.
Keep an exercise journal and write down every success, whether you lose weight or not. How you feel about yourself and your exercise is the key to staying engaged. No one wants to do something that they consider miserable, so think about how you can turn the tide and look at exercise in a different way.
Your lifestyle
If you want a healthy life, you must be prepared to change the way you live. It doesn’t mean changing everything overnight, it just means being open to new ways of doing things. Among some things you may need to change for a healthier life:
Break unhealthy daily routines. You may need to get up earlier to make lunch or exercise, use your lunch time to exercise, or go for a walk instead of sitting down. People use a busy schedule as an excuse for not being healthy. Do not fall prey to this trap.
Watch how you spend your free time. You may need to set new rules for yourself by limiting the amount of TV you watch or the length of time you sit at the computer. You will need to be careful with how you spend your time and where you are off balance so that you can add more movement.
Empty your pantry of junk food. No matter what your commitment, having something unhealthy in front of your face will only make things more difficult. You need to configure your environment to support your goals rather than sabotage them.
Your surroundings
Sometimes you can’t control the things around you. At work, you can be surrounded by temptations – donuts, vending machines, colleagues bringing junk food, etc. It’s just something you have to contend with, but what about your home?
Surround yourself with things (and people) that will support you in your efforts to be healthy.
This could mean spending money on home workout equipment, setting up a corner of your house for your equipment, or requisitioning the television a few nights a week to make an exercise video.
Create an environment that encourages and reminds you of these healthy choices. Sometimes just walking into your kitchen and seeing a bowl of fresh fruit can be enough to remind you of what you’re trying to accomplish.