Dear Beauty Diary,
'Tis Summer, and we, ladies, want to show off some skin. Some, however, are less willing. But, why? The weather's
becoming warmer, making the beaches all the more tempting, and yet, we always seem hesitant about going. So instead of having
fun at the beach, playing in the cool waters, and swimming in a cute, sexy bikini, we're cowering under our bedcovers, eating a bag
of chips, wondering when will we ever acheive our dream of having the perfect body. But why are we doing this to ourselves? Why
are we letting ourselves suffer? It's about time we stop. It's time for us to be proudof our bodies.
Let's get working.
First off, I would never support unhealthy weight loss. All the tips that I'll provide are both effective and healthy. They
work, and they won't do damage to your body.
01. What is healthy weight loss?
*Specialists agree that losing 1-2 pounds per week is considered healthy. Any more than that is dangerous.
*Make sure your weight does not drop below a healthy weight. To see how much you should weigh, calculate your BMI here. Your BMI should not be below 18.5
*Calculate your ideal weight here.
*Weight loss is not just about having a special "diet" or "exercise program"; it's more about living a healthy lifestyle.
*Losing weight is not the biggest challenge; keeping the weight off is, and in order to do so, you need to change your lifestyle. Diets and exercise programs are only short term. Once you stop, all the weight lost will come back again.
02. How do I lose weight?
*To lose weight, you must use up more calories than you take in. Keep track of how many calories you take in on a regular day (eat what you normally eat and perform the same physical activites you normally do). Reduce the amount of your caloric intake per day by 500-1,000 calories. This will help you lose within 1-2 pounds in a week.
*When losing weight, only rely on healthful eating and performing physical activites. You should be active 3-5 days a week for about 60-90 minutes, doing moderately intense exercises. This way, you are more likely to be successful at keeping the weight off over the long term.
*Take it step by step:
STEP 1: Set a realistic, specific, and forgiving goal (less than perfect).
Do not set unrealistic, unachievable goals. Losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks is impossible, and it will leave you feeling disappointed and frustrated. If your goals are easy and simple, then you are more likely to finish them, making you feel better about yourself and motivated to continue. Even the smallest goals help: a 15 minute walk can do wonders. Also, make specific goals. Do not just say: "I want to lose weight." How much weight do you want to lose? You want to exercise every day? How much are going to exercise: a 15 min walk or a 30 min jog? Be specific, so you won't be lazy with your goals. Lastly, setbacks may happen and deviate you from your plan–maybe it's the holidays, you have longer work hours, or there's another life change. When setbacks happen, you must get back on track as quickly as possible. You might not be able to finish a goal, and that's okay. Be prepared.
STEP 2: Make a commitment.
You've made your plan, and you're ready to go! Now, all you've got to do is make sure you stick to it. It's helpful for some people to create a written contract with themselves to committing to the process. Remember, losing weight will be hard, and you will have to continuosly remind yourself of why you're doing it. In your contract, include your reasons for weight loss, your moitvation, and maybe consequences if you do not manage to stick with the plan. Use the contract as a daily reminder as to why you are making this change and why it is so important to you.
STEP 3: Find support.
It's a lot easier when you have friends or family supporting you. Find a buddy to lose weight with. Keep each other in check. Make sure you and your partner are sticking to the goals. Exercise with your partner. Share tips with your partner. Motivate your partner!
03. Weightloss Tips
*DO NOT do crash diets; instead of making you lose weight fast, these diets may trigger your starvation protection mechanism, making your metabolism super slow and causing you to not lose any weight at all. Very low caloric intake will make your body think you're starving, and the body will actually begin to store fat, not lose it!
*Change your caloric intake every few days. You can have 3 low calorie days and 1 high calorie day. Alternating between these two will keep your body guessing. You won't reach weight loss plateaus, where you stop losing weight, and this technique helps you to avoid cheating!
*Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. This is the proper way to eat your meals. The truth is, having 3 big meals is wrong. By eating more often and having smaller meals, your body's metabolism will be better, making you lose fat faster. This can also help you avoid cheating. To do this, you would simply divide your regular meals in half, creating six separate meals.
*Dieting and eating less may help you lose some weight, but after a period of time, your metabolism will start to slow. Only exercise can raise your metabolism and tone your body!
*Cardiovascular exercise is A MUST. This means, you have to incorporate some running, speed-walking, swimming, bicycling, or any other kind of exercise that keeps your heart pumping. These are the only kind of exercises that make you lose fat. Weights, sit-ups, pushups, and other muscle-strenghtening exercises only help you to build more muscle. They do not make you lose fat. These exercises can only help strengthen your muslces, but with layers of fat sitting on top of them, you won't be able to see the fruits of your effort. Be sure to do cardio before muscle workouts!
*Replenish your water intake after running. Before exercising weigh yourself. After exercising, weigh yourself again to see how much water you lost. I remember losing up to five pounds of water once! That's a lot. You have to compensate for the water you lose after exercising. Dehydration may even slow your metabolism, making weight loss a lot harder.
(By the way, losing fat takes time. If you notice you lose a lot of weight within very short periods of time, then it's most likely that you're losing water weight, not fat. Drink more water and keep hydrated!)
