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Crazy, restrictive diets and regimented exercise don’t work for everyone. And oftentimes, even when we’re looking for quick tips to help us make better choices in our day-to-day life, those tips are restrictive, excessive, and just not fun. Before you know it, your weight loss journey is making you miserable. Here are some tips that aim to be the opposite of that. I believe that weight loss choices should be just that: choices. Not punishments, consequences, and not even super special rewards. These tips are easy, they’re attainable, and they don’t suck all the fun out of losing weight.
- Eat full meals. If you’re constantly cutting back, or doing nothing but snacking six or seven times per day, you’re much more likely to slip up or binge eat. Eat a full breakfast, a complete (but lighter) lunch, and a filling (healthy) dinner. There’s no virtue, or effectiveness, in starving yourself for weight loss.
- If you know you'll snack, carry your own. Storing a healthy snack, like a fruit or a healthy snack bar with you can help you get in a filling snack when you’re hungry, and will keep you from running to the vending machine at 3PM.
- Keep yourself hydrated. Make a habit of carrying a reusable water bottle, and sip it throughout the day. Keeping yourself hydrated will stave off a lot of feelings you could mistake for hunger.
- Don’t feel like you have to finish the whole plate. This is especially true when dining out. Just because you HAVE all that food in front of you doesn’t mean you should feel obligated to finish it all. Eat until you feel done, not stuffed. This thought process has made me savor my food much more, since I now eat slowly in order to let my stomach have time to fill up.
- Get a small size. If you have a size option when you’re going out, choose the small. It doesn’t look like enough food, because we’re socialized to think we need more, but you’ll be surprised at how much a “small” in America can really fill you up. A small mocha, small fries, a small salad, whatever it is, it's probably not as small as you think.
- Don’t cut out the foods you love. After all, moderation is key. I always keep around some dark chocolate for me to enjoy small bites—1 to 3 pieces, depending on the day—throughout the week. Soon you’ll realize that it’s something you can choose to enjoy, not something you need.
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