7. Get some sleep …
Experts agree that too little sleep equals no weight loss. You need to get at least seven to eight hours of restorative sleep each night if you want to lose weight. Sleeping well lowers cortisol levels, helping your body burn that much-hated belly fat. Check out what WebMD says about the sleep and weight loss connection.
8. Snack wisely …
It is okay to snack between meals. In fact, its a good idea. The reason you should snack is because it will keep you from overeating at meals, and that’s a good thing. The key is to make your snacks good snacks. Carry lots of healthy treats with you so you aren’t tempted to grab something full of trans fat out of the vending machine. Read what The Diet Channel advises on snacking.
9. Fiber, fiber, fiber …
If you want to keep your body moving and feel full at the same time, you’ve got to load up on fiber. This means eating lots of whole grains, fresh fruit, and raw veggies. You’ll fill up faster and digest your food better, making you feel less bloated and tired. Fiber is a dieter’s best friend!
10. Chug the H2O …
If you’re not staying hydrated, you’re not going to lose weight. Your body cannot function without enough water, and your weight loss will be slowed if your body’s feeling dry. So, carry a bottle of water with you all day long and sip on it. The bonus from this practice? All that water will help keep you feeling full instead of hungry!
11. Keep a food journal …
Studies have shown that people who write down what they eat are more cognisant of what they eat and generally do a better job of eating right. Maybe it is because it makes you more accountable to yourself? Maybe you feel guilty when you write down “four cupcakes and two donuts” where you meant to write “one apple” as a snack? Either way, food journaling make take a little time, but it will make you thinner. Check out The Diet Channel’s food diary.
12. Control your portions …
Most of us eat way too much, even of the good stuff. I know I have a really hard time controlling cereal portions. Even if the cereal is totally whole grain and healthy, I still don’t need a heaping bowlful, but that’s what I want! So, to lose weight, we’ve got to start thinking about the actual size of the portions we’re eating. We don’t need a plateful of pasta, a bowlful of ice cream, or a supersize fry.
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If losing weight were easy, then everyone would be thin. It is hard work! It takes time, effort, and a lot of thought. Take my twelve tips and put them to work for you… and we’ll all be swimsuit ready this summer! Do you have any more tips for me to try? Post them below if you do, and I’ll try them out!
Photo Credit: michael.seth
I think the most difficult thing about any diet, is to get started…..then keep up with it… especially after you reach that certain plateau of not dropping these unwanted pounds as quickly as you did at the beginning. Then again,if we all took our health into account, in addition to appearance, we would definitely try to eat healthier, and stay in shape, as a daily routine.
Hi I agreethat dieting is just hard all together. I have dieted for the last 6 years since I have gained weight. Nothing has worked until recently. I have been using the ultimate body applicators since January and have lost 2 pant sizes. It is a very good jump start for anyone trying to get started loosing weight. Check out my site and give it a try.
Check out Hydroxycut it’s 50% off.
I agree with all of your suggestions. However, I would add one more, and perhaps this is the most important of all: learn to listen to and love your body. As a weight loss coach, I see women following the diet rules, writing down goals, etc. and these are all great, but if they don’t first love themselves, all their efforts will most likely fail.
Thanks for a great post!
im 12 and i REALLY want to lose weight in my stomach and legs but how do i do that since im only 12?
Grace, I suggest eating healthier. I gather that all 12-year olds love their pizza and fast food. Stick to veggies and fruits. They’re good for you and you’ll lose weight eventually. Whatever you do, do not starve yourself.
Grace,
I would like to add that you should focus on being healthy and happy. Too many young girls start dieting at a young age, and this makes it extremely difficult to lose weight when you get older. As Meream said, focus on eating healthy, real foods. Try to limit the junk, and enjoy being a young girl.
Definitely, Tonya. Twelve is just too young to be concerned about appearances.
Grace, you sound like a very intelligent 12 years old, since you are concerned about your body and health. You are getting excellent advise from the other ladies…..eat three healthy meals a day and at least 2-3 healthy snacks in between. Please do not skip meals, because your body will feel that you are starving it, and will slow down your metabolism, which will not help your weight. Fruits and vegetables make great snacks. Baby carrots are yummy, almonds, apples, oranges, yogurt. Drink low fat milk and water, rather than juices and sodas. Stay active, join sports, jump rope, bike, walk, instead of sitting on the couch and watching TV. Staying healthy is the most important thing for a growing young lady, and for everyone for that matter. Next time when you go for a check up to your family physician, ask him for a booklet on nutrition, and you will get more idea about healthy eating. Remember the old saying about eating: Eat your breakfast like a King (big meal), your lunch like a Queen (smaller meal), and your dinner like a bird (smaller yet). Your breakfast is very important since your body needs fuel to get a good start for the day, and to stay focused in school.
Wise words, suburbandgrandma :)
What I do, I have buy a cute little top, just one size to small and try it on every week. When it fits, I get another new one, even cuter. I have also – it took a long time believe me – learned to think as eating right as not a punishement, but a reward. For the little girl, just think about eating right, not dieting. And maybe joining an organized sport like kickboxing would help you gain some confidence as well as being a good workout.
That’s actually a good method. The cute top serves as motivation. :)
All advice here is wonderful. I have two daughters, 7 and 12 yrs old. We all decided to start eating healthy recently, so far so good. My main concern, of course, is my weight. And I must admit my 11 yr old wants to lose weight too. We eat every 3 hours, just healthy foods and snacks. It’s a lot easier when everyone in the family is on the same page! We implemented a cheat day, which is on Sundays. Of course, moderate cheating.
When you’re young, it’s important to eat healthy because diabetes is attacking our youth. My 11 yr old is pre-diabetic, and I explained to her how important it is for her to eat healthy for her health more than her weight. We adults all know that both goes hand in hand. Exercise is a plus!
I make dark chocolate covered strawberries, which are so yummy!
hello. I have been through alot of diets and exercises but food is a big weekness . so I started seeing it as an enemy . Ive been doing this for over 4 weeks now . And so far so good. I never eat real foods just drink alot of water and eat apples and stuff like that . Now people see me as being anorexic =] and that’s how I wanted my appearance to be . And now I’m happy with that . so if ur desperate for wight lose . My advice is to follow wat I’m doing .. Alot of people say not eating makes u gain weight but that’s just to scare people into eating because its not the healthiest thing to do but hey it works.
Thanks for sharing, Ashley! That is a pretty extreme way to lose weight, but hey, it worked for you! Just make sure you eat something from time to time :)
hey,
i weigh 120pound i want to loose 6 pound.please tell me the best way to loose weight.thankyou
Hi. I’m 14 and from reading a disgusting article about what happens to animals in factories, I have made the drastic life change from an omnivore to a vegan-cutting out all dairy, eggs, meat, and any other animal products. I feel happier on this new diet, and less hungry too. Drinking lots of water, soy milk which is fortified by many vitamins as well as calcium, and eating whole grain foods has helped me a lot. I’ve seen myself slimming down in the mirror as well, but I won’t go on the scale because of the negativity of it. Every time I’m hungry, I drink a 16oz glass of ice water. In 15 minutes, if I’m still hungry, I’ll eat. It works! Half the time I realize I wasn’t hungry to begin with. Good luck everyone =] and to Ashley, anorexia is a huge problem sweetheart. My friend has been hospitalized multiple times for it…your body goes into starvation mode, in which anything that you DO eat will have all of the fat stored. Please eat healthier, I know you want to be skinny but that is not the way to do it.
Im 13 years old but I look like im 16 and im about 5′6 , 5′7 ish and about 140 pounds and i have a medium bone structure i really would like to lose weight but its really hard because you will be trying to eat healthy but then your friend has like a big fudge sundae and then you end up sharing it with her and there goes your diet i would like to be about 110 lbs i know i can do it… have any suggestions that could help me out?
Hey Deanna,
I just wanted to point out that if you did get down to a 110, you’d be under-weight! 140 pounds actually puts you in the normal weight category for your height. Why don’t you just concentrate on problem areas and toning them up instead of losing weight?
I’ve noticed that when I hear slow music or opera songs while eating I eat less.The opposite happens when the music is dancing and cheerful.
Chrysa,
Wow! I’ve never heard that one before. It’d be great if it works. I’ll try it out :)
About not eating to lose weigh quickly, DO NOT DO IT. I was very overweigh, about 180 pounds, when i was 16. Also, I was about five foot three inches. I was fed up with being the ‘fat girl’ and stopped eating. i would skip breakfast, swear that I wasnt hungry to pacify my friends at lunch, and eat a VERY small dinner so that my parents wouldn’t get involved. I ended up losing 45 pounds after a month or so…but this is not the way to go. I am now in a loving relationship with a guy who got me to realize how unhealthy I was and I’ve now gone too far to the other end of the spectrum and am overweight again. Not eating, nor drinking enough water, slowed my metabolism nearly past the point where I cant fix it. Please, please, please…eat! Starving yourself is only a quick fix and the sooner you realize it, the better!
Hi Hailey,
I love when our readers share inspiring sensible stories like yours. So thanks a ton! I hope more women realize that the “quick fix” is not always the best solution. Good luck to you for everything sweetheart! :)