How to Lose Weight Without Much Effort

Let's face it, most of us want to lose some weight, but very few of us actually want to put forth the effort to hit the gym every day or go on some rabbit food diet that leaves you hungry all of the time. Don't fret, my friend, you can start shedding those unwanted pounds by simply incorporating a few easy and effective lifestyle changes.

First things first. You need to find your motivation. I mean real, honest, this is why I am doing this motivation. Basically, without motivation you will fail very quickly. You will get tired, lazy, busy, hungry, or whatever and you will give up because you have no reason to try to lose the weight. How do you find your motivation? Simple. Take off all of your clothes and stand in front of a full length mirror. Pick up a small hand held mirror so you can get a good view of your back side too. I mean really look at yourself. I have discovered that most people who are overweight or otherwise unhappy with their bodies tend to avoid mirrors. You may use a small face mirror to do your hair and makeup. You may even have a full length mirror, but you avoid it like the plague. You may use it to quickly check that your outfit matches or whatever, but you never really look at your body. So, your first step is just to simply take some time and look at yourself. Look at how horrible your posture has become trying to hold all of that excess weight. Look at all of that fat on your body, those unsightly rolls, the droopy stuff, the saggy stuff, the dimply stuff. Look at it all until you are disgusted by what you see. After you have taken a good honest look at your body remember back to when you were younger, when you were thinner, more fit and trim, and think about the body you used to have. If you have always been heavy, think about the body that you have always longed to have. Think about that body that you want and burn that image into your brain. The feeling of disgust you get by taking an honest look at yourself coupled with the image of the thinner more fit and healthier body that you desire will be your motivation. Keep both of these images in your mind and think of them frequently. You will have the body that you want!! Or perhaps your motivation is not so much in your physical appearance, but rather your deteriorating health. Not only can those extra pounds simply make you uncomfortable, but they can cause you to more easily become physically exhausted. Add that to your increased risk of heart disease, gall bladder disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol (dyslipidemia), osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and sleep apnea. Some less known side effects of being overweight may include gout, a weakened immune system, liver disease, back pain, pancreatitis, incontinence, reproductive and gynecological complications, as well as an increased risk for some types of cancers. Find your motivation, whatever it may be, because without it you will surely fail.

Drink lots of water. Ideally, you should have at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water each day. If you find this difficult, you may try using a small 8 ounce glass instead of one of those larger water bottles that are popular right now. I find that it's easier to get the water I should have if I just drink a little at a time. Keep your glass handy and do not pass up the tap without filling it up. If you do not like the taste of water there are several ways to kick it up a bit. You can add lemon, make unsweetened herbal teas, mix pure water with a little bit of juice for flavor, or if you absolutely must you can use those little flavor packets. They aren't the best thing, but they are much better than sodas or other calorie laden drinks. You never want to drink your calories. It is such waste of calories and a huge factor for gaining and keeping on excess weight. Experiment with water until you find something that works for you and your tastes, keeping in mind that your goal should be to drink pure water. Water is very beneficial in a variety of ways and is often overlooked as a huge part of weight loss. Basically, if you do not drink enough water, you will be unable to flush out the fat cells that you have broken down. Water is also effective at suppressing hunger and actually cravings for water are frequently mistaken as hunger for food. Besides aiding in weight loss, drinking plenty of water also helps to reduce headaches, fatigue, back pain, and muscle spasms and also helps your skin to look smoother and more flawless.

Another big part of weight loss is simply cutting portion sizes. We have become so accustomed to super sizing everything that most of us have completely forgotten what is a normal sized portion. For example, the menu of most steak houses offer a generous 10 - 12 ounce steak. That's great, but it's also enough for 3 servings! Furthermore, the average person's stomach is the size of their fist, which means that your meals should only be about the size of your fist. That's certainly less than a super sized combo meal. I have found that the easiest way to cut back on portion sizes is simply to reduce the size of your plate. If you normally use a dinner plate, try using a salad plate instead. Most salad plates are plenty big enough to hold an appropriate sized meal for the average person. What typically happens when we use bigger plates is that we serve up our meals to fit the size of the plate. Halfway through eating we start to feel full, but we don't want to be wasteful so we continue eating until we have cleaned our plate. You should only eat until you are no longer hungry, not until you are full. If you are feeling stuffed after a meal, you are most likely overeating.

Another great way to shed those pounds is to be aware of calories. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that you have to count calories, just start looking at the nutritional information on the foods you eat. Look at both the serving size and the number of calories, because these are both equally important. Once again, controlling your portion sizes comes into play here. Another example is cereal. The average serving size of cold cereal is only 3/4 cup, but the average size of a cereal bowl is over 2 cups! So, by simply filling up your cereal bowl and not paying attention to the serving size you are easily doubling your calories. Another example of just being aware of calories would be when you are eating a sandwich. A tablespoon of mayonnaise is about 100 calories. The average person uses about 2 tablespoons on a sandwich, that's 200 calories just in mayonnaise! However, regular mustard has no calories, so just by simply switching from mayo to mustard you have saved yourself 200 calories. By just reading the nutritional information and being aware of calories you will be able to make better decisions concerning calories. Ideally, you should keep a food journal for a couple of weeks to tally up the calories you are getting each day, but at least just being aware of calories is better than nothing. If you do decide to keep a food journal you will most likely be very surprised at the number of calories that you are consuming. Most people think that they do not eat very much, but are surprised when it is put down on paper and they get a real honest look. Also, by keeping a food journal you will quickly learn about empty calories and what you should and should not eat.

It is also important that you become aware of the non-food substances that you consume. These are things which have tainted our foods more and more and can easily contribute to weight gain. Basically, these are additives, preservatives, and things of that sort that are in our foods but are not actually foods. What happens when we consume non-foods is that your body sees them as toxins. Whatever cannot be disposed of during digestion will be stored in the body. However, they must first be attached to fat cells. The body does this as a sort of protection since these non-food substances are seen as toxins. The fat cells that they become attached to act as a sort of barrier to keep the toxic substances from being released into the body. Of course if you consume these non-food substances and do not have adequate fat cells for them to be stored on, your body will create additional fat cells to protect it from these substances.

Another habit that you should incorporate is to not eat late at night. Your last meal should be consumed no less than three hours before you go to bed. Of course this is a hard one for a lot of us, especially with every fast food joint boasting their late night hours so you may get your fourth meal in (as if most of us really need a fourth meal). I had read before that in order for sumo wrestlers to gain massive amounts of weight they would eat a large meal, then promptly go to bed, as not to burn off any of the calories they had just consumed. That's something to think about.

Another way to shed those pounds is by simply getting up and moving. Now, I am not talking about hitting the gym, heading to aerobics class, or even going for a quick swim. Of course all of these things would be great to do, but remember we're talking easy here, not much effort. Basically, you want to set a goal to just move more than what you normally do. It doesn't matter what you are doing as long as you are moving. Think about things you can do wherever you are. If you are at a desk all day maybe you could do legs lifts under your desk (add some leg weights for a bigger challenge), maybe you could sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair, use a stress ball for a little forearm workout while reading emails, go for a quick walk at lunch time, use the stairs instead of the elevator, and park your car on the other side of the lot so that you have to walk farther. Perhaps you are a stay at home mom that just can't seem to stick to a workout (that would be me - lol). Kick a ball around with your kids, play hopscotch or jump rope with them. They won't care that you aren't any good at it and they won't think that you look nearly as stupid as you think you do. All they will know is that you're playing with them and they are having fun. You could even use your kids as "weights" if they are small enough and they will no doubt have a blast helping you work out. Clean the house, walk up and down the stairs, do anything as long as you are moving. Another thing you might want to check out is all of the great interactive video games that are out there. The Nintendo Wii tops the market for interactive games. The standard system comes with a sports game that includes boxing, bowling, golf, tennis, and baseball. The games are loads of fun, yet interactive which gets you up off of the couch and moving! You can also purchase other games that are specifically made not just for fun, but to get you fit. One of the most popular is the Wii Fit Plus, which I own and use almost daily. I love, love, love it! I would highly recommend any of these games if you find it hard to stick to a standard workout, are unmotivated, lazy, or just don't like to exercise.

Lastly, you may find it easier to set small realistic and attainable goals for yourself. For example, if you want to lose 30 pounds, try setting a goal to lose 15 first. Once you have lost the first 15 pounds set another goal to lose 15 more. If you never drink water, instead of setting a goal to drink eight glasses a day, maybe set a goal to drink three, then work your way up to eight. If you eat fast food five days a week instead of trying to cut it out completely, start with a goal to skip one or two fast food meals, then work your way up to cutting them out completely. Just remember that every little thing you do is better than doing nothing and the little things add up to life changes that will make you a healthier and happier person! :)

Please note that I am not a doctor, dietitian, personal trainer, or any other sort of professional and the advice given here should certainly not take the place of a professional's advice. I am just a girl trying to lose some weight and share my experiences with others.