A beginner’s guide to weight loss

For anybody who has never tried to lose weight and are about to start your very first attempt at losing weight, I’d like to offer some advice that can help you lose weight and learn what’s needed to keep it off.

My 5 tips can make your first attempt a lasting attempt. Avoid the yoyo dieting by learning how to lose weight the way that gives lasting results.

Maybe a starvation diet will fix these "huge thighs" and give her the thigh gap she believes is so beautiful. A starvation diet could also cost her her health and maybe even her life.

Don’t let the discouraging statistics on failed weight loss stop you reducing what you weigh. The most important thing to remember is that what you do to lose weight will need to be the things you can continue to do to maintain your loss. They must be a good fit with your lifestyle.

1. Start with the end in mind. No, I’m not talking about your goal weight or how many pounds you want to take off. I’m talking about what you can and will change to make your goal your lifetime weight.

Calories do count.  Your goal is to get the most from every calorie you consume. Get the most nutrition and pleasure from every calorie since you have to limit how many you are able to eat every day.

Calories do count. Your goal is to get the most from every calorie you consume. Get the most nutrition and pleasure from every calorie since you have to limit how many you are able to eat every day.

2. Read it now, believe me later – you do not want to spend the rest of your life avoiding forbidden foods. Following a weight loss plan that severely restricts food choices or even entire food groups sounds good because it seems to be a simple, uncomplicated approach that delivers quick results. I get why simple sounds better, but lasting weight loss is a learning experience. Steer away from them because you won’t want to live that way forever. Weight maintenance takes learning how to eat what you want without guilt or loss of control.

3. Forget the cleansing shakes, the power bars and the other things that waste your calories. Weight loss isn’t a matter of cleansing and power bars as meal replacements won’t satisfy you and keep you from feeling hunger the way food can. Use your calories for foods that are naturally lower in calories, higher in nutrients, and most importantly, taste really good. The more you enjoy your food, the easier it is to manage how much you eat.

Don't beat yourself up for the missteps but do celebrate your achievements!

Don’t beat yourself up for the missteps but do celebrate your achievements!

4. Never regret your actions. You won’t be perfect. You don’t need to be perfect. Sometimes you’ll eat too much. Don’t regret it; don’t beat yourself up over it. It happens and it’s okay. You didn’t “blow it.” If you’re having trouble keeping your eating under control it’s not a mistake, it’s just a homework assignment. The assignment is to discover what is the root of the overeating issues and learning how to deal with it/them in satisfying non-eating alternatives.

5. Plan to move more. I’m not saying “join a gym and knock yourself out with multiple weekly workouts. You could do that if you want to, but refer to my #1 tip – “start with the end in mind.” If you do that to lose weight, it’s going to need to become part of your life. If you quit the workouts when you get to your goal, you have changed the ratio of calories in to calories out. That change can make a difference to your maintenance. If you burn fewer calories and fail to adjust downward the calories you’re getting from the food you eat you’ll gain weight. I’m just saying sit less, move more, sometimes move a lot and the more fin ways you can move, the better.

 

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.