Weight loss, in its most simple form, is all about calories in vs calories out. If you consume more calories then you burn, you put on weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. But in a world where obesity rates are at epidemic proportions, why do so many people struggle to lose weight?

In my experience, as a fitness professional, I find that most people know this information but they have a hard time sticking to a new diet or exercise program. Often times, when I ask what caused you to stop working out or following your diet, it’s either because the changes they were trying to make didn’t fit their lifestyle (they couldn’t do it forever), or because they tried to change too much, too fast and they couldn’t keep up with it.

To lose weight, you have to start simple. You don’t have to try the latest fad diet or spend hours in the gym. In fact, the chances of you sticking to a fad diet or committing yourself to hours a week in the gym, are highly unlikely. We, humans, do better with small, gradual changes. It leads to more success! And those small gradual changes, are more likely to stick & convert to a lifestyle, (which is what we want!!) instead of deciding to ever eat carbs again. So, if you’re looking for an “easy” way to lose weight, start with the steps below!

[1] Change How You Eat

Start simple by changing how you eat. Maybe that’s eating the same foods, but in smaller portion sizes [download my portion size guide here]. Or maybe it’s adding a vegetable to every meal. It’s better to crowd out the bad, then to eliminate foods cold turkey! So start small & once you’ve established the habit, build on it!

[2] Drink more water

A lot of our excess calories are consumed through what we drink (pop, alcohol, fancy coffee drinks, etc). By focusing on drinking more water, we start to (1) crowd out some of the excess calories from the other drinks we consume, (2) improve our digestion, & (3) helps us curb cravings & mindless snacking. Every adult should be aiming to drink at least half their body weight, in ounces, daily. Not only does drinking more water help eliminate unnecessary calories, but there are multiple other benefits too!

[3] Eat Less Processed Foods

By focusing on eating less processed foods, you work on decreasing your calorie consumption.. Processed foods are hyper-palatable (meaning they taste great & leave you wanting more, which means, you eat more!) & calorically-dense (high in calories, low in other nutrients). Start small and eliminate one processed meal/food from your diet. Once that has become second nature, eliminate another! 

[4] Move More

Moving more increases our calories burned (i.e. calories out). You don’t have to sign up for hours in the gym, you just have to start small. Such as adding in a 10 minute walk after dinner, or lifting weights for 10 minutes a day. As these new habits become more routine, increase your walk or lifting session to 15 minutes. Other ways to move more are parking your car further away from the store or work, taking the stairs, walk outside during your lunch break. These little changes add up to be a big difference!

You may be able to tell from all the examples above, that weight loss is a slow process. It takes time for your body to respond to the changing your making, so you HAVE patience. Far too often, people quite before they have tried long enough for their body to start responding. It took time for the extra weight to appear on the body and it will take time for it to remove itself from the body. So take a deep breath, and take it one step at a time!

Do you need more help with your weight loss goals? Let me know & I’d be happy to help!

Rooting for you always!

Veronica

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash