8 Tips I’ve Personally Learned on My Weight Loss Journey That (Actually) Work

I’ve been up and down with my weight over the years. At one point I was losing 15 pounds in 1 month, and then I gained it back again a few months later.

But in my journey to having a permanently healthy and strong body, I’ve also learned some strategies that have helped me keep my weight down.

I know that there’s a ton of info on the internet, and much of it can be the same such as getting enough sleep or water. And while this is good to practice, I wanted to give you some helpful advice that goes beyond the basics.

So here are some healthy living tips I’ve learned on my weight loss journey that you can apply too.

Warning: Make sure to talk to your doctor before trying any new weight loss methods.

1. Keep Just One Small Goal

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told myself things like, “Oh, I’ll lose 20 pounds this month” or “I’m gonna start drinking a gallon of water every day!” And you know what? They’re all big goals, and I gave up.

And if you’re someone who has a hard time keeping promises to yourself (like me), then one of the best things you can do is to stick to one super tiny goal for at least a month.

Prove to yourself that you can stick to something for a certain amount of time, and then you can ramp it up from there.

This could be one glass of water before you eat or drink anything else in the morning. Or it could be doing 3-5 sit-ups before lunch.

Just make sure it’s small! Something you know you won’t give up on, and will help to build up your confidence.

2. Make Sure to Test

I can’t emphasize this enough.

I feel that one of the biggest reasons why people give up on weight loss is because they’ll try one thing, realize it’s not for them, and then stop.

I’ve done this plenty of times, so here’s what you want to do instead:

• Don’t stop testing substitutes for your favorite unhealthy cravings. So for instance, don’t just go with a health site that says, “Substitute sugary coffee for green tea.” If you don’t like it, you’ll go right back to your usual drink.
• Don’t like that form of exercise? I totally get it! But I promise you, there probably is an exercise you do like. Some examples: swimming, bicycling around the neighborhood, or walking with a friend.
• Healthy recipes boring you? There are definitely gonna be ones that you do like. Pinterest is full of great dishes you can try! I can’t tell you how many times I tried a healthy recipe off of Pinterest and my husband and I devoured it in seconds and felt good afterwards.
• Healthy recipes that take up too much time? Again, Pinterest. Pinterest is a treasure trove for finding fast, easy, and filling recipes that are healthy!

3. Max Things Out

If you want to see results in one area sooner, then you might wanna max things out.

Here’s what I mean: if you want to speed up your metabolism, then buy a whole bunch of foods & drinks that are known for doing just that. So for example, you might want to have a protein rich diet.

Then while sticking to your daily calorie limit, start cooking with them or straight up eating and drinking them.

4. Understand This One Mindset Hack

When you lose weight, then things start to stack.

So for instance, you do a 30-minute workout and that encourages you to eat healthier.

This happens because you’re motivated to not mess up the progress you just made with that uncomfortable and sweaty task you just did. Also, you start to build an appreciation for your body. Once you do one good thing for it, then you’ll want to do more.

5. Find OutWhy You Eat

For me personally, eating was an experience. But I also ate fast which meant I was done with my meal sooner. And that led to me to feeling disappointed (because my experience was cut short) and making excuses to get more food even though I was already full.

So you want to find out why you eat a certain way. Are you bored? Is it a habit for you to eat while watching something? Is it a comfort to you?

Then, once you find that reason, you can start to work on it. So if you eat while watching something, why not make it something healthy but tasty? Or find a fun hobby to do so that you cut down on TV time. Is it a comfort for you? Then you need to understand what it’s helping you to cope with. And once you figure that out, seek counseling or find a fun and healthier way to cope and take steps to eliminate that negative thing from your life.

6. You Don’t Like It, Then You Don’t Need It

If you don’t like it, then don’t eat it!

There are so many times where I bought something I thought I would enjoy eating. And then once I took my first sip or bite, I realized it wasn’t for me. But then I would feel like it was necessary to finish it because I didn’t want to waste.

Well, it still is a waste if you consume it. For one, you straight up don’t like it, and two, it’s empty calories, it’s not helping you in any way.

Side Note: Empty calories are calories that come from food with no nutrition.

Now if you’re hungry, and you don’t want to spend money on something else, then by all means, finish it. But if you’re not, then there’s no harm in tossing the food.

7. Mindful Eating Helps in 2 Ways

There were so times when I would eat quickly, but then I found that I wasn’t actually able to enjoy the food. And especially since it was gone a lot faster!

So when I started to do mindful eating, where I slowed it down and appreciated the smell, taste, and appearance of the dish, I found that I felt fuller faster and was able to have seconds for later.

Pro Tip: A great way to make sure you keep to mindful eating when at a restaurant is to ask for a to-go box early on. And when your food arrives, you can put half of it away and close the box. Then you can make sure that you only eat a certain amount and have leftovers for later!

8. “Lack Mentality”

Many people out there (including myself) have dealt with a “lack mentality” at some point.

For me, it started when I was a kid. Due to certain reasons, I always felt like there was never enough for me.

And I found that this “lack mentality” fed into other areas of my life (one of those areas being food).

I realized that I didn’t feel that there would be enough for me or that somehow, I would never get this type of food again (even though I easily could). So I would eat fast and eat way too much. And I even realized that I felt like I was “missing out” if I stopped before I overate.

And if this sounds like you, then one of the best things you can do to combat this is to stop and ask yourself, “Will I have the opportunity to eat this again later?” “Is there enough for me?” “Am I really missing out?” And when you do this, you start to change your mindset from a place of lack to a place of abundance.

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