As you know, the most difficult thing in any activity is the beginning. It’s not for nothing that the Russian people invented the saying: “A good start is half the battle.” In the modern world, where increased attention is paid to the appearance and beauty of the body, the issue of improving the figure becomes relevant. And women (including those who are quite slim by nature) face the same problem: how to start losing weight at home? Is it possible to achieve the desired shape without resorting to harmful pills and without suffering from endless hunger strikes? Of course yes. But first you need to think through a plan of action.
Diet problem
Most people simply set themselves the task of “getting thin” and begin to haphazardly re-read training plans and diet recipes, without really thinking about the complex nature of the task itself. And what’s even worse is that women begin to follow the first recommendations they come across from the Internet, depriving themselves of delicious food and a good mood. Recently, the so-called chemical diet, or Maggi diet, has become especially popular. This is an excellent example of useless weight loss and an unhealthy diet: after four weeks of restricting food intake, those losing weight return to their usual eating schedule and find that all the lost kilograms are returned, at best. At worst, another couple of kilos are added to the usual figures.
So what to do? How to start losing weight correctly at home? Do diets really not help at all? It is worth understanding these problems in more detail.
Look who's eating across the street!
Don't neglect simple tricks to keep yourself within reasonable limits. American nutritionists recommend hanging a mirror in the kitchen near the dining table, which will reflect your appetite and your lunch. In this way you will combine the achievements of Western and Eastern thought. Firstly, it has been proven that for some reason a person eats a quarter less food in front of a mirror and becomes full faster. Secondly, from the Chinese point of view, a mirror at a set table increases wealth in the house.
After eating, try to brush your teeth - toothpaste destroys the remaining taste of food in your mouth, and your body will receive a clear signal: “Lunch is over!” Chewing gums with a pronounced menthol flavor also play a similar role.
Choose the right time to take care of yourself. The process of getting rid of extra pounds is not an act of hatred towards one’s thickness, but a manifestation of tender love for oneself, the desire to become even more attractive and healthier.
Therefore, do not starve yourself, but love and pamper yourself with pleasant procedures such as aromatic baths, massages, buy body lotions and creams, perfumes, and instead of sausages and sweets - a few first strawberries, a peach, a good variety of coffee or tea. Setting yourself up for weight loss will be much more enjoyable this way. Besides – you all deserve it!
Wrong approaches
The fact is that the goal of any diet is to lose kilograms due to excess water, waste and toxins (with any dietary restrictions, the body automatically starts cleansing the intestines) and insignificant reserves of excess fat itself. Most often, however, women on a diet lose weight not because fat deposits “melt”, but because muscles that do not receive normal load weaken and “dry,” giving the woman losing weight the coveted “plumb lines.” It is better to return to the issue of physical activity later. But the mechanism of diets should be considered here: it is simple and absolutely the same for all systemic types of nutrition.
It is quite obvious that all women want to know how to start losing weight and not lose weight. After all, diet is always a stressful situation for the body. Stress, in fact, is the basis for the impressive effect of such popular diets as the chemical diet (in egg and curd versions), the medical diet, the Kremlin diet, kefir diet, the Japanese diet, the star diet, the Dukan diet and many others.
Instead of learning how to stop eating and start losing weight, you deprive the body of vital carbohydrates and fats (and in some cases also proteins) - and it responds with weight loss, since the body is forced to take such important nutritional elements from those already stored stocks. Unfortunately for women losing weight, this algorithm only works when dieting for a very long time - most women are not ready for such sacrifices. In addition, when returning to a normal lifestyle and normal diet, the weight not only returns, but also increases. Having been in a stressful situation, the body tends to store even more fat - what if “dark times” come again? Thus, a vicious circle is obtained.
Practical tips and tricks
We have decided on the right approach to losing weight. Now it is important to translate the plans into real life. But in practice, as a rule, everything is not so cloudless and easy. If you decide to go on a diet and stick to it, you must endure until the bitter end.
Little feminine tricks will help with this.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine - these drinks stimulate appetite and negatively affect metabolic processes in the body (although caffeine is a natural stimulant, it should be consumed extremely rationally and in moderation).
- Do not eat while working at the computer, watching TV or reading glossy magazines;
- Don't eat stress! Nervous tension is not at all a reason to have a heavy snack. You simply lack that very hormone of joy - serotonin, and you can extract it not only from a chocolate bar. It’s better to visit a beauty salon, go for a massage, go on a trip.
- Never eat with disgust or force, otherwise overeating will become a habit. For example, if you decide not to eat after 18.00, but are already full by this time, you should not “force” food into yourself just to make it “before hour X.” If later you really want to eat, allow yourself an apple or drinking yogurt.
- Find yourself an interesting and exciting hobby that will always distract you from obsessive thoughts about food. Ideally, it would be sports or gymnastics. In this case, you will not only not break down, but will also achieve the desired effect much faster.
- Argue with someone, preferably with money. You don't have to be a greedy person to motivate yourself with material means. You should simply feel sorry for wasting money just because of your laziness or weakness of will. Make a bet with one of your friends and keep your word.
- Start an online diary. It will be easier for you to stay on track if thousands of people know about your achievements. And, to be honest, you will be ashamed to admit your failures in front of them.
How to start eating right and losing weight?
The key to sustainable (though not always rapid) fat loss is proper nutrition. Many are afraid of switching to healthy food, fearing that they will not be able to live without their favorite fast food, or that buying frozen broccoli or fresh ginger will cost a pretty penny. In fact, it is not at all necessary to eat broccoli and ginger - you can eat healthy without eating exotic foods. And you don’t even have to give up fast food.
A competent transition to proper nutrition involves changing the usual regimen of three meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to a healthier and healthier regimen of five meals (breakfast, second breakfast (lunch), lunch, afternoon snack, dinner). Conventionally, a glass of kefir, natural yogurt or low-fat milk can be considered the sixth meal - it is drunk at night, right before bed.
I don’t want to lose weight, otherwise I’ll find out the truth!
This situation is more serious than the previous one. Many women, in words passionately dreaming of losing weight, are in fact very afraid that they will no longer be able to explain their failures in gigantic volumes. According to the principle: “If I were slim, I could easily arrange my personal life, but who would marry such a fat woman?” They are afraid to face the truth about themselves, even though they can guess about it, and therefore stubbornly break every attempt to lose weight, citing “features of exchange.” It happens that obese women suffer from pathological shyness and are afraid to even talk to men, but their extra pounds and “metabolism” have nothing to do with it.
Therefore, when setting yourself up to lose weight and once again limiting your diet to cabbage soup and mineral water, think: do you really need this torment? If for you happiness is only in food, even if it is simple happiness, there is no need to cheat with yourself, just say: “I have nothing - no apartment, no good friend, no dear friend. Well, if I take away my last joy in the form of a bun with cream - what will change from this?
And remember forever: never lose weight after another trouble. Lose weight when some happy event has happened in your life.
Product selection
You can stick to your usual menu, but if you want to learn how to start losing weight correctly at home, try to distribute foods and dishes so that the food fully meets the needs of the body.
Breakfast consists of proteins, complex carbohydrates and fruits. Second breakfast is made up of fats and simple carbohydrates. Lunch involves the absorption of proteins, complex carbohydrates and vegetables, an afternoon snack - proteins and vegetables. For dinner, with proper nutrition, they eat proteins and vegetables.
Why do you need motivation?
The motivation for losing weight can be different - someone needs to lose extra pounds due to health problems, someone cannot give birth to a child and cannot do without adjusting their figure and nutrition. For some, it’s enough to “fit into” a new dress or go to a party looking slim and radiant.
For everyone, a goal is a tool for victory; as a result, self-esteem increases, health improves, and joy appears in life. The answer to the question: “Why do I want to lose weight?” must be clear and precise. But at the same time, you don’t need to set inflated goals so as not to be disappointed in yourself and your abilities.
It is safe and physiological to lose up to 3 kg per week, depending on your initial weight. The right motivation will be an incentive for effective weight loss. You shouldn’t postpone the “start of a new life” until tomorrow. Today you can make a light salad for dinner, perform a few gymnastic exercises, and start a food diary.
Nutrient Sources
Where are proteins found and how can you start losing weight with them? Of course, the main protein product is eggs; Dairy products, lean meat, fish of any kind (not fried), offal (liver, heart, kidneys, chicken stomachs), and mushrooms are also excellent sources of protein.
Complex carbohydrates are found primarily in cereals. Oatmeal, wheat, pearl barley, rice, corn, barley or multigrain porridge is an excellent option for a stand-alone dish for breakfast and as a side dish for lunch. You can also eat pasta (but only from durum wheat), whole grain bread, special diet bread, and muesli.
Nuts and vegetable oils are rich in healthy fats.
How to prevent failure at the initial stage of losing weight
So-called breakdowns very often occur when following strict diets and certain eating regimens. For example, if at one stage of the Dukan diet you can eat only protein foods in unlimited quantities, and vegetables only on Thursdays, then a losing weight woman will dream about vegetables, fruits, sweets and fatty foods every day. How to start losing weight and not lose weight? The answer is simple - don't go on a diet. Many will say that proper nutrition is also a diet, just not as strict. This opinion is completely wrong.
Although healthy eating practices encourage frequent consumption of boiled or baked chicken breast, this does not mean that you cannot eat, say, a thigh or wing if you want. Chicken skin is a real taboo for most weight loss dieters, as is visible fat on cuts of pork. However, to prevent emotional breakdowns and so-called gluttons, it is necessary to allow yourself your favorite dishes and forbidden foods, just as rarely as possible. Make it a habit to treat yourself to your favorite treat, be it a hamburger, ice cream or white chocolate, for example, every weekend. This way you will prevent the development of a painful feeling of deprivation.
Is it possible to avoid breakdowns?
If you decide to start proper and long-term weight loss, and then maintain the weight, then you need to be prepared for the fact that there will most likely be breakdowns during this process - both in nutrition and in training. The important thing is not whether you relapse, but how quickly you can return to your new lifestyle.
Stop the relapse at the very beginning - enjoy the chosen product, return to the chosen diet
Physical exercise
How to start losing weight for a woman? They say that 80% of success depends on nutrition. However, the remaining 20% cannot be underestimated - it comes from physical activity. Unfortunately, this does not include housework or regular walking.
If you want to know how to start losing weight quickly and enjoy the results from the first days, you will have to go in for sports - even through laziness, “I don’t want” and “I can’t”.
How to go on a diet correctly
How to force yourself not to eat harmful and high-calorie foods, but such favorite foods, is an equally difficult stage in achieving results. Here are some tips on how to start eating right:
- Avoid drastic dietary restrictions - this is a lot of stress for the body. Try reducing your portions. This way you won’t break down, and your stomach will begin to narrow.
- Do not fill your belly in 5 minutes, because the feeling of fullness comes at least half an hour after the start of the meal.
- Gradually reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates by replacing chocolate with fruit.
- Arrange fasting days for your stomach - days when you eat only cucumbers, apples or other light foods.
- The last meal should be light and not late, 3-4 hours before bedtime.
- Gradually introduce a set of physical exercises on different parts of the body into your daily routine. Or sign up for a fitness class, where they will help you create a special program.
- For various medications and weight loss products, consult your doctor.
Why is it important
It is known that those who are unwilling will find a thousand excuses. Many people confidently report on forums that they are unable to run in the morning because their “knees hurt.” Others simply don’t have time, others simply cannot bring themselves to do it. Some have small children who require around-the-clock attention, while others have hard work. Is any of these factors a reason to give up sports? Of course no. The choice is yours. Do you need a great figure? Or would you rather continue to feel sorry for yourself?
“How to stop eating and start losing weight?” - the question is obviously wrong. “How to stop being lazy and start playing sports?” - this problem is much more pressing. Unfortunately, it all depends on you: neither lists of motivating facts, nor other people’s “before and after” collages, nor sworn assurances to yourself that “I’ll definitely pump up my abs starting Monday!” will not help you achieve your desired goal. You just need to get up from your seat right now and start warming up.
And it is around him that all our motivators revolve:
- You can't fit into your favorite dresses and jeans. A very strong motivator, which often spurs girls to begin the process of losing weight. Many people even specifically buy something a size or two smaller, and work hard to fit into it and buy a new one, another size smaller.
- A gift to yourself, your beloved, for your efforts. Just a beautiful body is not enough (as some people think), and besides it, there must be some kind of reward for yourself for all the work and torment, which will loom ahead, like a piece of ham that a dog runs after. For example, “I’ll lose weight to 55 kg and give myself a trip to the islands.”
- Love. This motivator is one of the most powerful. It is love that makes us make unimaginable efforts on ourselves and reach heights that we would never have achieved on our own. The desire to conquer a person or keep his love can work wonders.
- A good example to follow. It’s good if you have such an example before your eyes - some kind of authority that you want to emulate. For example, a friend or mother who, even at 50 years old, remains slim and beautiful because she works on herself every day.
- Losing weight for company. Oddly enough, and no matter what they say about this method (there are many opinions), it works. True, everything depends on the group – the team you work with. It’s great when this group of good friends who play sports, devote a lot of time to working on themselves, and choose active recreation. As a rule, group weight loss “for company” helps to achieve good results. But only in those groups where everyone supports each other.
- Health recovery. The problems and consequences of excess weight are familiar to everyone who is looking for ways to lose weight: shortness of breath and arrhythmia, heart problems, intimate problems, cellulite, gastrointestinal diseases and much more. What can we say about cases where life can directly depend on losing weight. In this case, working on yourself becomes simply necessary: sports and proper nutrition for health, weight loss and beauty should become your second self.
- Criticism of one's own and ridicule of others. At best, we hear - “Oh, who has become such a chubby little thing” and “Wow, how crazy you are, mother”, at worst - “Move over, cow, you can’t get through,” etc. Such “amenities” are no longer a signal that it’s time to lose weight, but a real alarm bell. Let's run to the scales!
- “No, I don’t like swimming, I’ll just sit in the shade and look, and at the same time I’ll guard your things.” Often, losing weight begins with the desire to walk beautifully along the beach so that everyone will gasp at your swimsuit and its strong, elastic contents. But, as life shows, losing weight “by summer” is a meaningless process with temporary results if a sports lifestyle does not then become a habit.
- Set a personal example for your child. If your child constantly sits at the computer and is already beginning to spread out his body in a comfortable chair, then you will not change his lifestyle except by your own example. In most cases, sports parents have sports children who always follow the example of moms and dads.
Of course, there are many more motivators for losing weight. But it is important to find your own, individual ones that will motivate you to achieve feats and allow you to “stay in the saddle”, despite possible obstacles.
Kinds of sports
If you don't like to run, don't run. If you hate the jump rope, throw it away or just don’t buy it. Forget about other people's recommendations with a categorical bias. Some will say that only a hoop will help you shape your waist, others - that only bodyflex is truly effective. Any such statements are absolutely true only in individual cases. You can choose a workout that will allow you to get rid of excess fat yourself - through trial and error. It’s easier (albeit more expensive) to order an individual program from an experienced fitness instructor. However, the question of how to start losing weight can also be answered by trainers, whose courses are available for free download on the Internet. One of these stars is the famous American Jillian Michaels.
How to stick to a diet and not break: change your life to change your figure
It is very important that the process of losing weight is accompanied by a healthy lifestyle. Of course, it is very difficult to give up habits that you have had for many years in a row. You need to get rid of bad habits gradually, eliminating them one by one.
For example, if you want to go jogging in the morning and instead of seven o’clock in the morning you decide to get up at half past five, at first it will be quite difficult to do so. The same goes for food. Of course, at first it will be quite difficult to restrain yourself. So think about what you can do to make getting up in the morning more pleasant and your runs more desirable.
Wake up in the morning with a positive attitude so that your first thoughts are that today is a great day to get a small or big victory over calories. And for jogging, you can find a like-minded person who will run with you.
How to stop dieting? As for food, it is worth learning to distinguish between hunger and appetite. There must be moderation in everything. So don't eat if you're not hungry. And if it’s too difficult for you to give up your favorite cake, then it’s better to gradually reduce its portion.
To make your diet enjoyable, think about how to diversify it by replacing tasteless dishes with those that you like better, but are dietary. Also, for effective weight loss, you should give up the habit of eating while reading a book, magazine, in front of the TV or computer monitor. This will prevent you from forgetting to control the amount of food you eat. Alcohol is the enemy of weight loss, as it affects metabolism and increases the desire to eat more.
The Secret of Jillian Michaels' Popularity
Most fitness programs for the happy owner of an ideal body are designed for a calendar month, that is, exactly thirty days. Answering the burning question of how to start losing weight through exercise, Jillian Michaels suggests repeating each of three sets of exercises for ten days. During this short period of time, the muscles get used to the load - and here the transition to a new stage of training occurs.
The secret to the success of the famous American’s courses is the alternation of strength and aerobic exercises: three minutes of push-ups and dumbbells, two minutes of cardio, a minute of abs. Fast, and most importantly - effective! If you are also interested in how to start losing weight and how to look better and better every day, listen to the professional recommendations of Jillian Michaels.
