Losing Weight without Losing Your Sanity

Losing weight can be one of the biggest challenges of your life, but you don’t have to lose your mind to achieve the body you want in the process. Whether you need to lose a few pounds to look better for a special event or you need to lose a lot because of a health problem, it can be a very frustrating time for anyone. Here are some ideas to lose weight without losing your sanity.

Set reasonable weight loss goals. If you have a large amount of weight to lose, you can’t do this overnight no matter what diet ads or television commercials advertise. Just as with any large task, if you want to reach your destiny and lose the weight, then you will need to start with breaking it down into smaller reasonable weight loss goals. For example, if you have twenty pounds to shed by your high school reunion then you need to break the weight loss down to five pounds per month. That’s easy to attain and you will reach that goal if you start now.

Change one thing in your diet at a time. One of the biggest reasons diets fail is because people try to totally revamp their diet and food intake thinking this is the miracle cure to their weight loss. But when you start craving something that you enjoyed eating, you end up splurging and then the diet goes out the window. Start a smart eating plan by changing one thing at a time about how and what you eat. You can give up soda and switch to drinking water or tea. Try sitting down and eating a healthy lunch everyday. Changing just one thing at a time allows your mind and body to adjust to your weight loss lifestyle.

Exercise by doing what you enjoy. People just don’t like the idea of having to join a gym or start an exercise regime that includes a lot of sweating or physical stress. The best thing to do is identify activities that you enjoy doing that get you off the couch, like walking while shopping at the mall with friends or swimming or playing an outdoor sport. If you approach exercise with this frame of mind it will seem more positive and you will burn calories without realizing it.

Pain does not equal gain. Only include physically activities that don’t hurt when you try to do them. If you get winded while walking, then take little breaks here and there. Nothing sabotages a weight loss plan faster than the feeling of physical pain and self defeat. So go easy on yourself and take time adjusting to your new lifestyle.

Reward yourself.As you reach each weight loss goal, you are allowed to treat yourself to little rewards that are not in the food category. Buy yourself a new outfit, get an updated hairstyle, and take time to visit a loved one or friend to share your success with. This is positive reinforcement that will give you something to look forward to and keep you from feeling insane about the weight loss.

The key to losing weight is to lose it sensible, safely and slowly. Otherwise you may get so caught up in the mental aspects of weight loss that you will get down when you don’t see the results you’re hoping for. That way of thinking can result in emotional eating, which is how many people get overweight in the first place.