Ailis’s top ten weight loss tips
1) Get your goals on
If you want to lose weight you have to set a clear goal around it; i.e. I want to lose X pounds by X date. You want make sure this goal is realistic too – 1-2 pounds is a safe weight loss goal, but this depends on your starting point and your dedication to taking action!
2) Make a plan
Once you know what you want to achieve you need to start taking action. If you have a programme you know works for you, that’s great. If not, you might need to look around and see what one fits your needs or consider a personal trainer / health coach to set a programme for you. (My online weight loss programme starts today, which is one option to support you).
3) Take action!
This is an obvious step but one that people often forget after a week or two! The changes that you make are the ones that will bring the results, so you need to stick with it. The changes become easier after a few weeks as they start to become habits and so you are not as reliant on willpower to do them!
4) Move
Make sure you include some strength training in your workouts – ideally at least twice a week. Strength training will help you build muscle, which will in turn increase your metabolism and so burn more calories even while at rest.
5) Up your veggies
A strong plant based diet works great not only for improving your overall health but also for weight loss. A review of 15 studies found that just by switching to a plant-based diet, participants lost just over 10 pounds in a month. Another study by the Obesity Society found that participants consuming vegan and vegetarian diets lost an average or 8.2 to 9.9 pounds over 8 weeks just by eating a plant based diet and not restricting calories.
6) Drink up
Water is vital for so many chemical reactions in our body, including digestion and metabolism. Aim for eight glasses of water a day – herbal teas will count toward this. Starting your day with a glass of lemon water (half a lemon squeezed into a glass of warm water) will help to boost your immune system, detox and refresh your system. It also gives you a feeling of fullness so will help with your weight loss efforts.
7) Get your beauty sleep
We need 7-9 hours of sleep a night and if we get less than this it will not only affect our mood, it can actually hinder our weight loss. One study has even shown that people who only get two thirds of their regular amount of sleep eat an average of 549 calories the following day! What happens when we don’t get enough sleep is that our hormones are out of whack. The levels of ghrelin increase which makes us hungry and the levels of leptin decrease which leaves us feeling unsatisfied even after we eat.
8) Think thin
Having the right mindset is probably one of the most things you can do when trying to lose weight – you really have to stay focused on the image of your final goal. Think to yourself: I am a slim person in a body that is too big for me! You really have to believe that you can and will do this.
9) Get support
It is really important to make sure that you have the support of those around you. The support can take a variety of forms; from someone doing the dishes so you can go for a walk after dinner, to a friend who will join you for a run, to someone you can call for motivation when you have a challenging day.
10) Be mindful
Mindfulness plays a big role in weight loss – whether it be mindful eating or being mindful of your inner chatter. We often open a bag of crisps and before we know it we are looking into an empty bag and didn’t even realize we ate it all! Mindfulness is the complete opposite, it is enjoying and savouring every bite we eat. When we do this we are much more aware of what and how much we are eating.
Try out a few of these tips this week and let me know how you get on! If you would like to be supported in your weight loss efforts and be looking and feeling great by Paddy’s Day and beyond, check out my Inspire healthy weight loss programme!