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Weight Loss Exercise

A Simple Weight Loss Plan


A good weight loss plan is often complicated and expensive to follow. Some fad diets require you to eat only a few food items that are either hard to find or expensive to buy. With a situation like this, it’s difficult for most people to stick to their weight loss program. If you want a program that works, you must find a simple weight loss plan that needs little effort to follow. You will be more likely to stick with an easy-to-follow diet plan until you reach your weight loss goals.

A simple weight loss plan makes it easy to cut calories because all you have to do is follow a meal plan. There’s no need to count calories or worry that you may not be getting all the nutrients you need. When you have a low-calorie menu in place, it’s easy to follow your meal plan and be confident that you will be able to nourish your body while losing weight.

Tips for a Simple Weight Loss Plan

A Simple Weight Loss Plan

Weight Loss Plan

Before making a weight loss plan, you have to set your goals and decide how much weight you want to lose. Your goal should be realistic. Plan on losing only 1 to 2 pounds per week. This may seem frustrating if you have a lot of weight to lose, but this method will ensure that the weight you lose stays off in the long run.

1. One of the most important parts of a simple weight loss plan is a low-calorie diet menu. For safe and healthy weight loss, women should consume at least 1,200 calories per day while men should eat no less than 1,400 calories a day.

2. Never skip breakfast or any meal for that matter, or else you may overeat on your next meal. For a healthy low-calorie breakfast, have two slices of whole-wheat toast with two tablespoons of peanut butter and a banana.

3. Eat a low calorie lunch. You can have a salad of lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with a light vinaigrette dressing, a cup of steamed veggies, black beans, and an ounce of cottage cheese. Have a fresh fruit for dessert.

4. Eat a low-calorie dinner as part of a simple weight loss plan. Try half a cup of brown rice, stir-fry vegetables and grilled fish.

5. Include two light snacks in your simple weight loss plan. You can have a small apple, a banana, grapes, or a handful of dry roasted nuts.

6. Drink plenty of water. Although water is an important part of a weight loss diet plan, most people do not drink enough. Drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of water every day. Water helps your body function properly and aids in weight loss.

7. Exercise. You should have at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. To ensure that you will stick to your exercise regimen, find an activity that you enjoy. You can walk on a treadmill, jog, bike, play sports, or join an aerobics class.

Do cardio workouts as well as strength training exercises as part of your weight loss plan.

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Weight Loss Exercise

A Simple Weight Loss Plan: Tips for Weight Loss



Weight loss plans are often complicated and expensive to follow. Some fad diets require you to eat only a few food items that are either hard to find or expensive to buy. With a situation like this, it’s difficult for most people to stick to their weight loss program. If you want a program that works, you must find a simple weight loss plan that needs little effort to follow. You will be more likely to stick with an easy-to-follow diet plan until you reach your weight loss goals.

A simple weight loss plan makes it easy to cut calories because all you have to do is follow a meal plan. There’s no need to count calories or worry that you may not be getting all the nutrients you need. When you have a low-calorie menu in place, it’s easy to follow your meal plan and be confident that you will be able to nourish your body while losing weight.

Tips for a Simple Weight Loss Plan

Before making a weight loss plan, you have to set your goals and decide how much weight you want to lose. Your goal should be realistic. Plan on losing only 1 to 2 pounds per week. This may seem frustrating if you have a lot of weight to lose, but this method will ensure that the weight you lose stays off in the long run.

1. One of the most important parts of a simple weight loss plan is a low-calorie diet menu. For safe and healthy weight loss, women should consume at least 1,200 calories per day while men should eat no less than 1,400 calories a day.

2. Never skip breakfast or any meal for that matter, or else you may overeat on your next meal. For a healthy low-calorie breakfast, have two slices of whole-wheat toast with two tablespoons of peanut butter and a banana.

3. Eat a low calorie lunch. You can have a salad of lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with a light vinaigrette dressing, a cup of steamed veggies, black beans, and an ounce of cottage cheese. Have a fresh fruit for dessert.

4. Eat a low-calorie dinner as part of a simple weight loss plan. Try half a cup of brown rice, stir-fry vegetables and grilled fish.

5. Include two light snacks in your simple weight loss plan. You can have a small apple, a banana, grapes, or a handful of dry roasted nuts.

6. Drink plenty of water. Although water is an important part of a weight loss diet plan, most people do not drink enough. Drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of water every day. Water helps your body function properly and aids in weight loss.

7. Exercise. You should have at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. To ensure that you will stick to your exercise regimen, find an activity that you enjoy. You can walk on a treadmill, jog, bike, play sports, or join an aerobics class.

Do cardio workouts as well as strength training exercises.

  • A Simple Weight Loss Plan: Tips for Weight Loss


A Simple Weight Loss Plan: Tips for Weight Loss

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General Weight Loss Tips

This Post is About Food

Guess what? I have lots of food photos and thoughts to share this week! I think I’m due for a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday update.

Wednesday:

My favorite breakfast.

Total calories: 335 (two slices of whole wheat toast, 1/2 T butter, 1 egg w/ feta, spinach, 2 pieces of bacon)

Two oatmeal cookie balls (my own recipe, no photo): 140 calories

Dinner: my usual mexican fajita shared with Josh: about 899 calories

Exercise: insanity workout

Total calories: 1,275

Thursday:

Breakfast was four oatmeal cookie balls (my recipe, no photo yet): 280 calories

Lunch: spinach meat loaf sandwich with fresh fried potatoes (ate out with a friend). I ate about five chips, all of the meatloaf and left some of the bread. About 450 calories

Dinner: spaghetti with meatballs:

1 serving whole wheat pasta, sherry sauce, 3 meatballs (plus 2 more), Parmesan cheese, bread with butter, spinach salad with vinaigrette dressing. 700 calories

Exercise: Insanity

Friday:

Breakfast and lunch were the same. Egg sandwich with spinach and butter.

290 calories each. two slices of bread: 120 calories, butter 100 calories, egg 70 calories, spinach is zero.

Dinner was frozen pizza night for us. We both wanted pizza, but didn’t want to order out for a pizza with a ton of calories and too many slices. So we opted for a frozen pizza. While Josh was out at the store I put together some chickpeas and a salad to make the meal more filling.

I had two slices of pizza (I actually only at 1/4 of a large pizza- a first for me!!) with avocado slices on top. A half serving of Trader Joe’s Indian spiced chickpeas. A salad with tomatoes and vinaigrette dressing.

Total calories: 550

Dessert! I made a pan of brownies with white whole wheat flour and evaporated cane juice. More on this in a minute. One brownie: 143 calories + strawberries about 15 calories. Total: 158

Total calories for the day: 1,288

No exercise!

I have a few thoughts about making this small dessert. One of them is that I believe technically using sucanat (evaporated cane juice) is breaking my no-sugar rule. I am not in some state of denial believing that this isn’t sugar. I’ve done a lot of research on the product and the only difference is that it hasn’t been refined or bleached. It still has a lot of vitamins and minerals. But, sugar is essentially sugar.

My goal has always been this: to control my habits towards sugar. I overeat sugar. I used to find ways to eat dessert, obsess over eating more, and even secretly eat sugar. I don’t do this anymore. I don’t know if I’m experiencing a placebo with sucunat, but I just don’t binge on the items I make with it.

I ate this brownie and it was delicious. Anyone would think it was. There is little difference. It is a high calorie treat, but I was done with my one slice. I wasn’t obsessed with eating another one. I’m not even obsessed with eating one now as I write this. This has never happened to me in my life of baking. Ever.

I counted the calories, I didn’t feel guilty about it and I don’t feel any need to hide this from any one who reads my blog.

What has changed from not eating “real sugar”? When I’m out to eat, I’m never tempted to order dessert. When I’m offered a baked good, I decline. I don’t think “ice cream would be good right now” after I eat a hearty meal. I’m not obsessed or consumed with getting a quick fix in the kitchen with the sugar and butter I have on hand. It’s easier to say no because the decision has already been made for me.

If my sucanat treats become too much to control, I will stop baking them. For now, I see nothing wrong with moderation. I love baking, something I’ve sorely missed since I’ve started my no-sugar rule. And this allows me to get in my kitchen again, guilt-free. And maybe that’s the point. I always had guilt over the sugar of my past, but now it’s gone. It’s totally possible that the elimination of guilt has been the real change, rather than the switch in sugar products.

I don’t think most people take my no-sugar rule seriously, because I bend the rules myself. And that’s okay. Looking for natural sugars and not overeating is fine with me.  I’m still offered peanut butter Easter eggs, cupcakes, cake, and ice cream all by people who read my blog. But the truth is, the last time I had a real dessert was on my birthday. And again will be my anniversary. I already know I want a nice dessert at a nice restaurant. I don’t want to gorge.

But my biggest hope through this year is that I learn to get by on less. That I don’t need to eat the pan of brownies in the kitchen. I don’t need dessert everyday. I don’t need sugar to survive.

And this isn’t just with sugar. You see those egg sandwiches up above? They are delicious. I could eat three of them. I wouldn’t feel good, and I don’t need to, but I could. Right after I eat I instantly want more. My brain is triggered. More more more. And I am learning to sit with it. I sit with my empty plate and dig into that feeling of more. As soon as I’m aware, it goes away. I’m not fighting it, I’m not talking myself out of it. I don’t feel bad about it. I just sit with the feeling. I trust the feeling, and it goes away.

I’m realizing that this is why dieting in America doesn’t work. I’ve tried so many diets that tell me not to have one small brownie,  one serving of frozen pizza, eggs, bacon, bread, butter, a sprinkling of feta, a drizzle of olive oil. All of them valid in some way or another, I’m sure, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t work because it never goes away. I can avoid certain foods because they make me feel bad, but to eliminate them totally just won’t work for me. It never has. So I’m convinced where I wasn’t before, that counting calories, in a way, let’s me have my cake and eat it too.

I eat anywhere between 1,200-1,500 calories a day sometimes more. And I’m okay with that amount of food. I’m slowly teaching myself that it’s enough food. I’m never hungry and guess what? I’m losing weight!

Companies are spending billions of dollars on campaigns to sell their food. Food that isn’t good for us, so the way I deal is to either make it myself or eat small amounts. Josh mentioned that he was tempted to get a package of Jimmie Dean breakfast biscuits. I told him I was glad he didn’t because I would make him some and freeze them for breakfast. It’s not about never eating a sausage biscuit, but about finding a way to make it better. I will use local sausage and whole ingredients for the biscuits. I will count the calories in them, enjoy them and move on.

I’ve talked too much for one day! Happy weekend!

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