For many people, the term “lose weight naturally” conjures up visions of starvation diets consisting of leaves and twigs. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
In fact, most people can easily lose weight naturally by making small changes in their current diet. Changes that are easy to make and, if you stick to them, will cause the pounds to melt away.
First you need to understand that, in all of the universe, there is only one way for anyone (including you) to shed those excess pounds. You have to burn more calories than you consume. Every diet and weight loss plan ever created (that actually works) is designed to do this very thing.
Even the latest & greatest weight loss program being touted by (insert famous name here) will have the words “when used with diet and exercise”, or something similar, in fine print at the bottom of your TV screen.
Like we said earlier, there’s only one way to lose weight, naturally or otherwise. Eat less! Exercise more!
For me, the “exercise more” part was the toughest. At least, it was before I started to realize that it didn’t have to be. In the end, all I had to do was to change a few things in my everyday life that accomplished every thing I needed in extra exercise:
- I began to take walks every day. I chose to take “spirited” walks of about 15 minutes twice a day (morning & evening). You can do as I do, or take just one 30 minute walk. Either way, you’ll burn a considerable number of calories and strengthen your heart at the same time.
- At work, I started taking the stairs rather than the elevator.
- When I have a simple errand to run that is close to home, I walk instead of driving.
- When I do go out (work, shopping, etc.), I park as far away from the door as possible. Even this little bit of extra walking will add up!
As you can see, adding calorie burning exercise doesn’t require some fancy gym or expensive “work out” DVD. Keep it simple and look for ways to add activity to your normal day.
As for “eating less”, perhaps it sounds like an insurmountable obstacle, but, here again, simplicity is the key. Get rid of the “very bad” and eat smaller portions of the rest. Here are a few examples to help you get started:
- Eat foods in their natural state (raw) as much as you can. This is especially important when eating fruits and vegetables. The easiest way to get the most from every bite is to steam veggies rather than boil them. Boiling removes many essential enzymes that stimulate your body’s endocrine glands, necessary for proper digestion. Keep in mind, too, that if fresh vegetables are not available (like in winter) flash frozen are your next-best option.
- When choosing meats, choose those high in protein and low in fat. A simple rule to follow is:
- Things that swim are better than things that fly
- Things that fly are better than things that walk
- Choose things that walk only occasionally.
- As much as possible, eliminate refined sugar in all of it’s forms. This includes foods that contain corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, fructose, brown sugar, and anything else that sounds “too sweet”. Instead, use natural sweeteners such as raw, unprocessed honey, rose hips powder, date powder, or blackstrap molasses.
- Avoid bleached white flour products. Essential nutrients of whole grain have been removed and preservative agents are also added that can create disharmony within your body. Whole grain products are an excellent source of protein as well as B complex vitamins, vitamin B, and unsaturated fatty acids, which help keep your colon healthy. All these thing help you to lose weight naturally.
- When cooking, prepare only moderate quantities of food. Leftovers make for a tempting relapse contrary to your weight loss goals.
Remember, simplicity is the key! Keep your goals in mind and look for all of the ways that you can use to lose weight naturally.
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