Hello there, I’m Shelly Stinson, a freelance writer from Denver, Colo. I love writing about anything related to healthy living, which is why I’ve teamed up with Lovely Happenings to bring you this post on how to lose weight the healthy way. And if you enjoy what I’ve written here, you can keep up with me on Twitter.
Have you ever lost weight only to gain it back again… and then some? Or maybe you’ve tried a new diet that did help you shed some of your excess pounds, but it ultimately left you feeling worse than when you started it.
Perhaps it sapped your energy levels so you always felt fatigued, or it made you feel so preoccupied with food that you couldn’t think of anything else. It may have even led to other, more damaging health problems than those which your original weight created.
None of these scenarios are good for you, which makes finding a way to lose weight the healthy way important to you both mentally and physically. With that goal in mind, here are three guidelines that I have compiled for you to keep in mind:
It is very easy to get sucked into any program that makes weight loss sound quick, easy, or both because we want results and we want them yesterday, preferably with as little pain or discomfort as possible. The problem with these types of approaches is that they either aren’t good for you or the results won’t last long term.
To help you better recognize a scam, here are some claims that Becky Hand, a licensed and registered dietician who contributes to Spark People, suggests you avoid:
The word “diet” implies short-term changes as it is typically something you go on and off. However, if you want long-term results, then your behaviors and actions are going to have to be long-term as well. In other words, you can’t just lose weight and expect to spend the rest of your life thin. Fully realizing this requires that you prepare yourself to make positive changes that you’re willing to live with for the rest of your life.
Want to eat more vegetables but don’t like to eat them raw? Instead of forcing yourself to munch on carrot and celery sticks then, dice them up and add them to your favorite dishes. Not a fan of running? Find another exercise you do enjoy so that you actually look forward to it versus dreading it. As College News says, “there is absolutely no one-size-fits-all-approach” that works for everyone. So figure out what works with you and do that.
When you spend a lot of time thinking about how your thighs are bigger than someone else’s or how you can’t do as many pushups, this does nothing to help you promote healthy fat loss. In fact, it can actually demotivate you, like Jon Acuff says in his blog, “comparing yourself to others leads to arrogance or shame, but never happiness.” And what do we tend to do when unhappy? We eat.
Remember that each person is different and we’re all on our own path to self-acceptance and greater health. Once you let go of trying to be like everyone else, you’re able to focus more on yourself and less inclined to want to take unhealthy approaches to lose weight. That makes it a benefit all the way around.
Do these three things and your weight loss approach will be healthier, which makes it more likely to be long-term. That is the goal, isn’t it?
