A Few Things to Keep in Mind While Working to Lose Weight

We all know losing weight is not easy, particularly if you have had the weight on your body for a long time. While you have a difficult road ahead of you, you can achieve success. Read on for some advice that, if kept in mind, can potentially assist in your success and help you reach your goals. 

Face the truth of the difficulty ahead of you – 

While the truth of how hard it will actually be to lose weight and keep it off may be what has led you to put it off for so long, facing it can be a good thing, too. If you go into it with the mentality that you will lose weight quickly and be done with it, you will quickly be disappointed and this can lead you to quit trying completely. Accept that it will take time, it will be difficult, and you will have bad days, but know that at the same time it will all be worth it. 

Know that not everyone will be happy for you – 

While this is a difficult thing to accept, it is unfortunately true. For those who have been on the bigger side of the scale for a long time, a sudden weight loss can prompt negative feelings from family, friends or coworkers. There may be jealousy from an overweight friend that never managed to lose weight, people may accuse you of being on drugs or ill, and more. Although it is impossible to avoid the hurt feelings that may come from this, it can be helpful to know that it is a possibility, and to know that many people experience this after weight loss. When this happens, it is important to not let it negate your success – you should never feel guilty about working hard to achieve your goals. 

Substitutions, substitutions, substitutions – 

Whatever your food weakness is, find a healthy substitution. Crave chips? Stock your cabinets with healthier varieties. Can’t live without chocolate? Fill your freezer with low calorie brownies. Can’t live without bread? Find a great low carb bread and buy no other type. Substituting foods you simply can’t seem to live without will help you stick to your weight loss plan much easier than if you try to completely eliminate those foods. 

Sneak in some exercise – 

Many people simply don’t have the time to have a specific exercise regimen. However, there are times throughout the day that you can work toward a little extra movement to help burn extra calories. While watching television, do sit-ups. While vacuuming your house, wear ankle weights to increase the weight you are carrying around. Simple additions to your movement throughout the day such as these can help burn off a few extra calories, and every little bit helps.