Moderation Is The Key To Success

If you’re the “desperate times call for desperate measures” type of person and it works for you, then this isn’t the blog you need to read. However, if you’re not seeing any success in that technique when it comes to eating healthy and getting fit, then for this situation, moderation may actually be your key to success. Severely restricting your caloric intake and exercising endlessly often ends in failure, since it can’t be continued for long.

It all starts by making smarter decisions.

Just cutting out food with added sugar can make a huge change. It’s easy to remember with no calorie or carb counting. Instead of snacking on a bowl of ice cream, consider freezing grapes as a snack or freeze a banana in coin size pieces then mash it to ice cream consistency. It’s sweet and provides health benefits and fewer calories.

If you fall off the wagon, start again immediately.

Even if you’ve given up food with added sugar, if you eat a small slice of wedding cake at a friend’s wedding, it’s not the end of the world. Just start fresh. Accept that you’re not perfect, just don’t make it an everyday occurrence. It takes time to change your habits and your palate. The longer you stay away from foods with added sugar, the sweeter fruit will taste. In fact, people who seldom eat sugary treats often find some too sweet for their taste. That’s because a constant flow of sugar dulls the taste buds. Once you feel you’ve conquered sugar, move on to other processed food.

Exercising can be grueling at first.

If you haven’t exercised in a long time, take it easy at first. It may be a real shock to your body that it has to move more and the body may rebel by making every muscle and joint hurt. You may make it through the first tough workout, but you’ll pay for it the next day. If you’ve led a sedentary lifestyle, start by walking more and do a few minutes of regular exercises, like lunges and squats. Slowly increase the number of reps and the types of exercises until you can get 150 minutes a week, then work on intensity, once your body is ready. Consistency is key and so is slowly adjusting your body to more activity.

  • Make small changes, like drinking more water. Carry a bottle of water with you and sip on it frequently. You’ll have more energy because you’ll be hydrated and feel full longer. Before a meal, drink a glass of water, you’ll eat less.
  • Aim for permanent change. That only comes from changing long term habits, not a sudden rush where you starve yourself and workout until you can’t move any longer. Starving yourself leads to yo-yo weight loss.
  • Not everyone is the same, so doing what works best for you is important. If you’re an “all-or-nothing type” make sure it’s actually working for you and you aren’t regaining the weight immediately.
  • Don’t give food the power, take charge. If you love crunchy snacks, instead of potato chips make air popped popcorn. Don’t eat a candy bar but opt for frozen banana ice cream made from mashed bananas or choose another sweet fruit.

For more information, contact us today at ProWeightLoss