6 Tips for Healthy, Habitual Weight Loss

With so many fad diets and crazy fitness routines out there, it can be hard to know where to turn for healthy weight loss information. How can you drop a few pounds without compromising your nutrition? Which exercises will keep you fit without damaging your muscles and joints? If you’re looking for genuine, natural ways to lose weight, here are just a few ideas.

1. Don’t Go Cold Turkey

One of the quickest ways to doom your diet is to deny yourself all of your favorite foods. Unless you plan on cutting chocolate out of your life forever, you’re going to need to learn how to work it into a healthy meal plan and not overdo the portions. The same goes for chips, sodas, pizzas and other forms of junk food. Instead of completely eliminating them from your diet, try to phase them out of your everyday routine so that they’ll become occasional treats rather than regular indulgences. There’s nothing wrong with sweets when consumed in moderation, but you have to know where to draw the line.

2. Know Your Nutritional Needs

How much protein should you be eating every day? Are you getting enough calcium and potassium? Are your sodium levels in the danger zone? You won’t know until you do your homework. While there are general guidelines for daily recommended values of vitamins and nutrients, everyone has specific needs based on their age, weight, gender and body type. Figure out what your own chart looks like by finding an online nutritional calculator that will break it down for you.

3. Find Exercises That Suit Your Lifestyle

There’s a common misconception that new dieters have to become joggers or aerobics instructors if they’re serious about losing weight. In reality, there are all kinds of exercises that will help you burn calories. Swimming, for example, is a low-impact exercise that won’t strain your muscles or joints, but it’ll still get your heart pumping. Yoga will help you sweat off the pounds without requiring you to invest in expensive home exercise equipment. You have options.

4. Embrace Alternatives and Substitutions

You don’t have to give up your favorite recipes when you start a weight loss plan. You just have to make some alterations to the ingredients and cooking processes. For example, maybe you can bake those pork chops instead of frying them, or maybe you can use sugar-free chocolate chips when whipping up your next batch of cookies. Maybe you can start buying products that are low in fat, gluten or diary content. The possibilities are endless, especially when you approach the grocery store with an open mind.

5. Take All-Natural Supplements

Avoid the snake-oil brands that make grand promises about dropping a full dress size in a day. Instead, look for healthy and organic supplements with high-quality ingredients that will help with things like fat burning and metabolism boosting. You can also find products that focus on reducing your hunger. For example, Health365 sells appetite suppressants online, and these pills and tablets can give you the strength to resist cravings and stay on your healthy meal plan.

6. Add, Don’t Subtract

This goes back to the idea of not denying yourself. If your goal is to eat more vegetables, don’t replace your favorite cheesy appetizers with boring leafy greens that will be a chore to consume. Instead, have the greens and the cheese, or combine them both into a single dish. You’ll be increasing the nutritional value of your meals without feeling like you’re depriving yourself with a strict diet.

These are just a few tips for losing weight in a healthy and natural way. The results might not be as dramatic as your friend who went on a seven-day cleanse of nothing but eggshells and oxygen, but your way will be a lot better for your body in the long run.