To listen to the popular media, you’d think that losing weight involves a significant monetary expense. The idea that purchasing special food, supplements, books, programs, equipment, training or anything else is necessary to increase or guarantee the speedy and easy shedding of pounds is simply untrue. Diet aids have been around for decades and, although the products themselves and the manner in which they’re advertised have changed, their efficacy has not. No matter the plan, potion or promises, there’s no new way to lose weight; it still only happens when more calories are burned than are consumed. Period.
The number of people willing to pay for help with weight loss continues to increase, giving the “diet industry” a willing, if ill-informed customer base. Even if you happen to drop some weight while using a diet aid, there’s no proof that you couldn’t have lost the weight without it and avoided losing money along with pounds. The goal is to lose weight, not money.
Tips for cost-free weight loss
The most important element for weight loss is to avoid the “diet mentality” of deprivation. Instead, embrace the concept of making healthier choices. Better overall eating and activity habits are key. Avoid unnecessary spending to achieve your weight loss goals by taking a patient and practical route to attain them, including:
- Set reasonable goals for your weight and weight loss – Consult with your doctor to determine your target weight.
- Inform yourself – In order to keep your expectations reasonable, find ways to monitor your efforts. There’s plenty of help out there, like, My Fitness Pal, a free app that provides information about the calories in foods and calories burned by activities while helping you determine your daily caloric needs to reach your weight goal according to your present age, weight and height.
- Determine practical, doable means to get there – Whether it’s increasing your activity, cutting out certain foods from your diet and incorporating others, portion control or a combination of these factors, make changes you can live with over the long term. Invest in foods rich in nutrition to get the greatest benefit from your grocery dollars. Avoid choking down foods you despise or engaging in activities you don’t enjoy. There’s a whole world of choices out there – so choose those with which you can comfortably live. It’s also reasonable to allow yourself an occasional “splurge” so you can feel less deprived as you continue to cultivate healthier eating and activity habits.
- Seek out support – There’s no need to go your weight loss alone! Isolation will only make it more difficult to stay the course. When friends and family are aware of your weight loss goals, they can support and encourage your healthier lifestyle.
- Monitor your progress without obsessing – Weigh in on a regular basis to make sure you continue to move in the right direction but don’t allow the scale to measure your overall success or self image. Plateaus are to be expected as your body adjusts to its new condition. You’ll push through them with perseverance. Weight that comes off slowly due to prudent choices is more likely to stay off than weight that comes off due to drastic dietary changes. Focus on the journey and you’ll reach the destination.
The desire to keep our weight under control is an age-old issue. There’s no need to spend money on anything to facilitate the process of weight loss. When you don’t seek a “magic bullet,” you’ll discover you have all the power and motivation within yourself to lose those extra pounds.
What are your tips for no-cost weight loss?
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