ABCs of Weight Loss, This is Stuff You Should Know!
A is for Attitude: You can do this! You are a skinny person in training.
B is for Burn: You need to burn more calories than you consume not light the cat on fire!
C is for Calories: You can eat them, burn them, but not all calories are created equal. It is proven fact that folks who ate the same amount of salmon calories compared to those that ate beef calories lost more weight. Chose them wisely.
D is for Diet: Diet is what you eat, not what you do. Diets are not lifestyle changes.
E is for Everyday: A lifestyle change is part of your everyday routine. Hit or miss diet days are similar to skipping work or school; too many and the results are not good.
F is for Fuel: You need to fuel your body. Starvation is not an effective way to lose weight and keep it off.
G is for Grain: Whole grains. If you really want to lose weight, I would skip the white bread, the white rice and other processed grains. Whole grains are better than just grains!
H is for Hazards: Everyone has different circumstances that cause them to blow through calories like quarters at an arcade. For some it is having junk-food in the house, others going to certain restaurants, and for others, it is a certain time of day. Know your hazards, and prepare yourself.
I is for Investment: Invest in your success. Heart Rate Monitors, smaller dishes, food scales, new clothes that are too small, but will fit at your next goal, and anything else that causes you to think about your lifestyle change.
J is for Juice: Skip the soda - even diet soda and drink juice. Water it down, add some sparkling water to it, but drink fluids that have some value.
K is for Kickass: That is your job and your only job: to kick this old lifestyle where it counts!
L is for Logging: If you ate, you log it. In fact, if you thought it, it might be a good idea to log it. You might change your mind when you see that a muffin is 700 calories, and a McDonald's burger is 750. Then you can delete it.
M is for Meal Plans: How many posts do you see where folks says: "I don't know what I am having" for lunch, or for dinner? Getting caught off guard at Olive Garden can blow a whole days worth of calories. All chain restaurants have nutritional menus online; read them before you go! Plan for holidays, but stick to the plan!
N is for Nuts: Almonds, pistachios and cashews can really help stop hunger and they are good for you. These are good calories compared to many of the low-cal snack foods.
O is for Outside: Get off the couch and take a walk, ride a bike, walk the dog head to the beach, the mountains, or even go arounf the block. I know it is tough in the winter, but anything beats the couch!
P is for Protein: I am not a fan of high-protein diets, but I have noticed for weight loss, keeping the protein up seems to work for some people. This is especially true if you eat lots of junk carbs like pizza, chips and white bread.
Q is for Quinoa: This is pretty awesome whole grain and cooked in chicken broth can be better than rice and even couscous.
R is for Rest: You need to sleep, and to take breaks from working out. (I am the master at overuse injuries). Decent amounts of sleep will aid in your weight loss.
S is for Sweat: Regardless of what MFP says, if your heart rate isn't over 120, it is not considered cardio! You will burn calories, but cardio is upping the heart rate to exercise it and keep it healthy. If you don't sweat from exercising and need shower when you're done, try pushing it a little harder!
T is for Trainer: They can be jerks, and cost a lot of money, but some gyms have a weight loss class where you get 6-8 people working with a trainer for cheap ($5-$10 per session). I recommend it to learn exercises, proper form, and have someone pushing you a little bit.
U is for Underwear: If they're too small, they will fit sooner of later; just be sure to wash them.
V is for Veggies: I can't tell you how many diaries I read with low-cal versions of junk food including: chips, dip, pizza, soda, desserts and the like. Veggies are good for you, for your body and all that other stuff is not.
W is for Water: Drink as much water as you can. There is sparkling water, flavored water and good old fashioned tap water. There is debate on how many cups a day is good for you, but I assure you, the body won't mind it all.
X is for eXcuses: Just effing do it, OK?! Eat right, exercise a minimum of 3 times a week for 30 minutes and start living the dream!
Y is for "Y": Winter is here, and getting outside is not as easy, well lit, or even feasible in some cases. Buy yourself a Y membership or other suitable gym where you can put in the time to get healthy.
Z is for Zero: Zero your calories, no negative caloric intake!
Oh yeah, and have some fun!
Thanks for the comments, and be sure to vote too!
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