There are three main contributors to losing weight.
1) Eat right. Dieting is 80% eating right and 20% exercise (although many studies show different statistics, but it’s safe to say that eating right is the majority of the process). Vegetables and fruits are fabulous, whole wheat products are good, eggs and peanut butter provide great protein, and nuts are healthy too (though be careful because they have a lot of calories for only a few). Dieting is a lot about variety, so don’t stick to just eating the same meals every single day. Does this mean that you can’t eat unhealthy things ever? Of course not! Just don’t eat them a lot, and you’ll be good to go.
2) Drink right. I cannot stress this one enough. Ever since I started dieting, I only drink water, green tea, and an occasional Diet Coke (although I try to have only one a week because of the fake sweeteners). Do not drink sugared sodas. I haven’t drunk one this entire process, simply because I can see how awful they are for you. They are high in calories, hurt the enamel on your teeth, have 40 grams of sugar (the same amount recommended for a person to consume a day, although keep in mind that the studies that predicted that said that fruits and vegetables do not count), and one can of Coca-Cola has 140 calories. Keep in mind these facts too:
1. Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.
2. Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.
3. Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.
4. After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a blood sugar crash, and you may be tempted to reach for another sweet snack or beverage.
All in all, sodas are about as bad as it gets. If I were you, I’d stick to water and tea.
3) Exercise right. So it’s great that you’re eating and drinking right, but if you want to tone up you have to exercise right too. Find a local gym and get a membership, then try to go there 3-5 days a week for about an hour. Use the elliptical, weight lifting machines, treadmills, etc. If there is absolutely no way that you can get to a gym (or you just don’t have the money for a membership), there are plenty of ways to exercise at home too. Go jogging for thirty minutes, do push-ups, crunches, planking, jumping jacks, wall sits, leg lifts, etc. There are many home exercises you can do, and you can check out a great one on my At Home Work Out link.
