40. Don’t Eat in Front of the TV
Getting sucked into your favorite show will force you to lose track of how many calories you are taking in, thereby making you less aware of the nutrition choices you are making on the spot, leading to mindless eating. In fact, people who eat while watching TV, consume, on average, about 300 more calories than those who don’t chew in front of the tube, according to a study by the University of Massachusetts. In other words, TV is the catalyst to mindlessness and mindless easting.
Action Step
Next time you sit for a meal, turn off the TV (and the other distractions) and put your mind on the task at hand. You will enjoy your foods more that way and end up cutting at 300 calories a day, which is always a good thing.
41. Add Protein to Every Meal
Protein is key for muscle growth and proper workout recovery, but what most dieters don’t know (or simply ignore) is that protein is also vital for weight loss. Here is why. Protein can help you feel satiated for longer, thereby helping you prevent cravings, unhealthy snacking and overeating.
Protein also slows down digestion, helping feel fuller for longer. And it’s also key for burning the fat without losing the muscles. According to study, to optimally protect your muscles as you shed the fat, you need to add protein to each meal.
Action Step
Add protein to every meal throughout the day—especially breakfast or immediately following a run or a workout. Some of the best sources of protein include eggs, fish, chicken and grass-fed beef.
42. Set a Kitchen Curfew for 12 Hours
If you are like most people, then the kitchen is the place where you have most of your meals (and snacks). Well, unless you are hiding snacks all over your house, then you need to REAALLY stop doing that. Late night snacking—the post-dinner problematic sweet tooth—is a source of great worry, and weight gain.
Most dieters are tempted to sprint to the kitchen after dinner’s done, looking for a snack to satisfy those late night cravings. Nevertheless, by setting a regular kitchen curfew, you will be saving up hundreds of empty calories from late-night snacks. According to a study by the University of Texas, late night snacking significantly boosts the total number of calories you take in.
Action Step
After dinner, and after finishing off with the washing and wiping, get a piece of masking tape and place it across your kitchen doorway, and declare your kitchen off-limits. Stop late-night eating and save up 300 or more calories a day. That’s the equivalent of 30 pounds a year.
43. Personalize your Plan
Not all workouts are created equal. Not all diets are created equal. And not two people are alike. Everyone is different and responds differently to different diets and workout routines. A weight loss program that worked for me, or for your best friend, may not be the best thing for you. Therefore, as you are making changes in your life, keep in mind that nothing works a 100 percent of the time. And that sometimes you have to create your own, specific, weight loss plan.
Action Step
Go through all of the exercise and nutrition materials and tips you can get your hands on, pick the best advice, then develop a personalized program for you, based on your own fitness level, body type, personal affinities, and weight loss goals. You have to take all this information and make it work for you.
44. Step Away From the Scale
Although it’s vital that you weigh yourself on a regular basis, relying on the scale as the ultimate measuring stick is not that effective. In fact, in some cases the scale can lie and be a source of great stress and frustration. The scale is particularly unhelpful if it’s making you feel bad.
Action Step
Weigh yourself only once a week, and keep in mind that numbers on the scale are not that accurate. So monitor your progress (or lack thereof) by taking before and after photos during your weight loss journey. By using pictures to keep tabs on your progress, you will have more clarity on where you are heading.
45. Get Plenty of Sleep
Lack of sleep can lead to overeating and weight gain. In fact, according to research from the University of Chicago, sleep deprivation can make you snack more, leading to overeating and weight gain. According to the researchers, subjects who only go roughly 5 ½ hours of shut-eye had more snacks during the day. Not only that, proper sleep is also key for brain function, recovery, athletic performance and maximum overall health and well-being levels.
Action Step
Optimize the time spent tucked under the sheets, aiming for at least 8 hours of high quality uninterrupted sleep during the night’s time.
46. No Alcohol
When it comes to fat loss, alcohol can be a great hindrance. Alcoholic drinks are jam-packed with sugars and carbs that will compromise what you have worked so hard to achieve in a heartbeat.
Action Step
Do your best at cut down on your alcoholic drinks. In case, you had to drink, do this: go for your first one, slip gently, and then switch to a club soda with lime on your following order.
47. Reward Yourself Occasionally
When you hit a major mile-stone—whether it’s shedding 10 pounds or being able to run for 30 minutes without much huffing and puffing—reward yourself for the victory. Treat yourself to something you savor and enjoy doing (or having).
By doing so, you will make the process of weight loss something you are looking forward to, which can help you with consistency and adding some fun to your weight loss resolution—we all know that losing weight is hard work, and can turn sour if you don’t find ways to make it more fun. But please don’t reward yourself with food (unless it’s your cheat meal day). If you reward yourself for every pound you shed with a big box of chocolate, you will only be compromising your resolution and setting the stage for failure and disappointment.
Action Step
Do something you enjoy. Go watch a movie, or get a new pair running shoes, a manicure, a massage, have a date, read a fiction book you enjoy, a hot bubble bath, or binging on Game of Thrones or any other show you may like.
48. Monitor your Progress
You cannot improve on what you can’t measure. This is a true maxim whether you are running your own company or trying to shave off some pounds. Therefore, be sure to track your progress—or lack thereof—throughout your training program.
Action Step
On your weight loss journey, keep track of the following: Body measurement—especially around the waist and other troubled areas, bodyweight, body fat percentage, your exercises and workout plans, your daily calorie intake, your energy levels, etc.
49. Get the Support you Need
As noted earlier, the people you surround yourself with can have a great impact on your results. Hence, make it a cardinal rule to only rub shoulders with supportive people, cutting away negative individuals from your life once and for all.
Having an accountability program is vital for weight loss success because it can provide you with the tools you need to gauge success, find solutions to problems, and motivates you as you move forward. In addition, having people showing you their support every step of the way is a great way to help you stay consistent. If you surround yourself with the wrong folks, you will sabotage your weight loss goals. In fact, anyone who does not support you shouldn’t in your tribe. Get rid of them and your body (and mind) will be forever grateful.
Action Step
Surround yourself with like-minded people who understand what you are going through, and may also have similar fitness visions.
If you find it hard to enroll friends and/or family members in your mission, then sign up for weight management course, or participate in weekly support group meetings for as long as possible.
50. Be your Own Coach
The most successful and motivated people in the world are self-driven and self-motivated. They learned how to be their own coach—especially when all the odds are stacked against them and no one believed in them and in their visions. Sure, outside help from family members, friends, even a health professional, is vital, but try also to tap into your inner coach. In the end, you are the one at the frontline, fighting every battle along the way.
Action Step
Take a deep look inside of your mind and heart and try to find what motivates you the most. It could be a vision of healthier body, being a role-model to someone else, or just feeling good about yourself. Whatever motivates you the most, find it, clarify it, hone it, and let it work for your advantage.
51. Eliminate the All-Or-Nothing Mentality
This is one of the classic mistakes I see many people make when they are trying to lose weight. The all-or-nothing type of a mentality can only lead to stress, unrealistic goals and a painful burn and crash at the end. And people who think this way quit at the first slipup.
Therefore, keep in mind that success is not all white or black, and that mistakes are a part and parcel of the process. You can’t go anywhere without making a mistake or two (or more!).
Action Step
Instead of fretting and losing sleep over the mistakes and the weak moments you are going to encounter, try to look onto the bright side by evaluating your slip-ups, assessing what happened, learning from them, and making the right changes.
