9 Tips I’ve Personally Learned in My Weight Loss Journey that ACTUALLY Work

Ok, so I’ve been up and down with my weight over the years. At one point I was losing 15 pounds in 1 month (no exercise), 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 helped me keep my weight down.

I know that there’s a TON of info out on the internet, and much of it can be the same such as getting enough sleep or water. And while this still is good info, I wanted to give you some helpful advice that you might not have heard or thought of before.

ALSO, if you have some good tips, then scroll down and let me know in the comments; I might just add them. 🙂

Warning: Make sure to ask your doctor before trying any new weight loss methods if you have any health issues.

1. Keep ONE Small Goal

Ok, 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 drinking a gallon of water every day now!” And you know what? They’re all big goals, and I gave up.

And if you’re someone (like me) who has a hard time keeping promises to yourself, 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. Or it could be doing 3-5 situps.

Make it SUPER tiny! Something you know you won’t give up on. And then, if you accidentally miss a day, continue on with it the next. This will help build confidence in yourself.

2. TEST TEST TEST!

Ok, I can’t emphasize this enough.

I feel that one of the BIGGEST reasons for people giving 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:

• 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 to do. 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 ones 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 AND felt good afterward. 🙂
• Healthy recipes that take too much time? Again, Pinterest. Pinterest is a treasure trove for finding fast and easy and filling recipes that are healthy!

3. Max Things Out

If you want to see results in one area sooner, then you have to max it out.

Here’s what I mean: if you wanna speed up your metabolism, then buy a whole bunch of foods & drinks that are known for doing just that. Then, while sticking to your daily calorie limit, start cooking with them or straight up eating or drinking them.

4. Understand this 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 want to eat healthier. Because one, it motivates you to not want to mess up the progress you made with the uncomfortable and sweaty task you just did. And two, 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 Out Why You Eat

For me personally, eating was an experience for me. But I also, ate fast which meant I was done with my meal sooner. THEN that led to me being disappointed (because my fun experience was cut short) and making excuses to go ahead and get more (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 the 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 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. If You Don’t Like it Then…

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 felt that it would be a 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 times where I used to gorge myself on food, but then, I found that I wasn’t able to enjoy the food as much. And especially since it was gone a lot sooner.

So when I started to do mindful eating, where I slowed it down and appreciate the smell and taste and appearance of the dish, I found that I filled up faster AND was able to have seconds (or more) for later!

A pretty cool result I think. 😊

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. Then when your food arrives, 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.

It was started in my young years; the ones who raised me didn’t feel like there was enough (even though there was) and taught me to feel the same.

And I found that this “lack mentality” fed into other areas of my life. And one of those areas was 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), and so I would eat fast and eat WAY too much. And I even realized that I felt 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.

9. Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting was one of the coolest things I found that helped me lose weight.

Here’s why:

If I did it for even just 1 month, I found that it helped speed up my metabolism and keep it sped up for months. We’re talkin’ around 5-6 months after I stopped intermittent fasting.

But I also talk about that more in my post here on how I lost 15 pounds in 1 month with no exercise – so feel free to check it out!

Losing weight isn’t always the easiest, and especially when it feels like NOTHING is working. But I do hope that these tips above help you out. And if you have any questions at all, then just let me know. 🙂

Silas & Grace

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Chasing Foxes was started in 2016 as a way for Grace and her husband, Silas, to start traveling. However, they started to realize that they had a passion for improving themselves, and wanted to help others level up their lives as well. So whether it's with cooking, travel, or staying healthy, they want to help you better your life bit by bit, as they do the same.