5 Necessary Habits For Successful Weight Loss

By Cliff Pape

It is a good start to understand the science of things. You don't need a bachelor's degree to be able to make sense of calories and its good to be aware of what your working against. Each person will require a certain amount of calories to maintain body functions, such as breathing and digestion. So what is the right amount of calories for you? Follow these simple steps to measure the amount of calories you should be consuming throughout a typical day:

Calculate your BMR. This will give you the minimum amount of calories that your body needs to work properly. You can find tools to do this online, or at your local health clinic.

Determine your activity level. You can easily purchase a heart rate monitor from a number of different stores including Academy. Put one on and wear it all day long to help give you an accurate account of how many calories you have burned.

Keep a daily journal of the foods that you eat throughout the day. Remember to write everything down and including the number of calories from each food source.

Next, take your basal metabolic number and add the number of calories you burn doing activities. Then, subtract your food calories. If you come up with a negative number then you are going to gain weight. If you come up with a positive number then you are going to lose weight.

What you decide to eat at every meal, every day is a huge and important part of your weight loss journey. You are not just counting calories but trying to make healthier choices when you eat. Making dietary changes to improve not just your weight loss but your health are important. For example, you need to make sure that you are eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. Enough cannot be said about the benefits of eating these things. Choose leaner meats, eat healthy and wholesome breakfasts like cereal, yogurt, fruit, and eggs.

Equally important is the kind of exercise routine that you are involved in. This is the second most important factor to successful weight loss. You need to be doing a minimum of 30 minutes of intense exercise a day. You need to begin with cardiovascular activity which can be a number of things including swimming, running, jogging, briskly walking, biking, and even circuit training. The more you get used to any level of exercise that you do, the more you should up your intensity. Also, don't be afraid to add strength training to the mix. It makes a bigger difference in the way you look than cardiovascular activity does.

Nobody likes working out, but everybody wants to lose weight and do it quickly. One of the best ways to do this is to hire a personal trainer. No it's not free, but well worth the money. A personal trainer can guide in your weight loss journey and help you get to your destination faster than you would be able to get there on your own. It is definitely an investment and not for everybody, only those that are truly serious about losing weight and reaching their weight loss goals.

The final thing to remember is your self-confidence and motivation. Without this, you can forget about losing weight. To believe in yourself and stick to your goals is the only way to achieve weight loss. Without this vital incentive, you will soon fall into the trap of skipping that gym class or helping yourself to a second plateful. Stay true to yourself and your efforts will pay off!

About the Author

Cliff Pape is a Houston Personal Trainer who has trained and coached hundreds of Houstonians in their weight loss journey. He recommends that in addition to a good exercise program, everyone be involved in eating a healthy diet like the one prescribed in the Medifast program. Doing both will keep you healthy and strong and in shape!

 

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