How To: Lose Weight While Cutting Back

Lauren Garner, Editor, How-To girl

So you want to know how to lose weight by cutting back? Well, there’s one thing you have to remember when doing so: be smart and be safe. You don’t want to end up in the hospital, so forget what you’ve read in magazines and start believing that the girl on TV that made that mistake could be you if you don’t be careful.

Before you begin, create something in your mind as a reward for every time you do something great. Do something that you don’t always do for yourself and keep to it. You’ll be surprised at how that will help you! For girls it’d be those skinny jeans that don’t seem to fit anymore or that bikini that you want to look really good in. For guys, well I honestly have no clue.

Just to inform you, it’s not what you eat but how you eat it. Don’t over indulge yourself in that strawberry cheesecake just because your taste buds scream for it. Start slow, and stick to your goal.

Start with your foods. This is where it gets a little tricky. Did you know that diet sodas increase your risk of weight gain by 65 percent? I didn’t think you knew that, so it’s best to say so long to soda. If you choose to continue drinking your soda then try to cut back and stay away from the diet! Also, don’t stop eating as much as you did. This means don’t skip meals. It’s proven that people who don’t eat as much end up consuming more calories and burning them less than people who eat more than four meals every day. Still don’t take this lightly and not watch what you consume.

To be honest, tea is amazing for losing weight. It has half the caffeine of coffee and contains catechins that boost your metabolism. If you drink green tea, then you can say hello to that polka dot bikini by summer!

Also, while cutting back, keep track of all the calories you are eating. This doesn’t mean to be obsessive with your calorie amount. It’s just a way to know what you are putting into your body and what you seriously need to take out. Keep a thorough record of it. Write down the food, how much you ate, and how many calories you consumed.

For example, let’s say you ate crackers. The amount of calories were a hundred and fifty per serving size which was seventeen crackers. Now, you ate two serving sizes which totals to three hundred calories. You would write down the name of the crackers, the serving size, how many servings you ate, the amount of calories you consumed, and done.

Now a big problem is eating fast food or just going out to eat. Cut back on that also. If you can’t, order something that isn’t as fatty. If you go to McDonald’s be sure to indulge yourself in a parfait. Those are amazing!

Here are a few tips when changing your diet

  1. The biggest mistake you can do it completely cut something out all at once. If there is a specific thing that you can’t live without (like me and snickers) then go ahead and just cut back on it. Just don’t try to make it completely healthy all in one night. This usually leads to cheating on your diet.
  2. Before you eat, ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you’re just eating because you are bored.
  3. Fill your meals with a lot of color, and also make sure that the color is actually fruits and vegetables. Actually the more fiber, proteins, and vitamins you fill yourself up with, the longer you’ll stay full and the healthier you’ll get. Getting those from food is a lot healthier than getting it from store bought pills.
  4. Eat more whole grains! Also, make sure they are whole grains. If they say anything but “100% whole wheat” or “whole grain” then they are deceiving you.
  5. Remember, protein gives us energy and calcium is for strong bones.
  6. Limit sugar and salt!

Now I understand that nowhere in the word “diet” is the word “fun,” but just realize that it has to be done. That doesn’t mean it has to be a horrible experience. So just follow the tips up top and make your own shopping list. If you do, you’ll be in those skinny jeans in no time!




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