5 Tips for Weight Loss After the Holiday season

One goal many of us have after the festive holidays is to shed some pound. Some of us approach weight loss the wrong way and either don't lose or don't lose the amount we want. Use these 5 tips to ensure you are successful:

Eat the right foods 

During the festive holidays, different foods than what you normally stock were in your house. Most holiday foods are high in calories, saturated fat and sugar-- all which can sabotage your weight loss attempts if kept in the house.

Don't miss breakfast 

One common mistake people make attempting to lose weight make is skipping breakfast thinking that by not consuming those calories, it will help with their weight loss. Wrong! By not eating breakfast in the morning, your body goes into starvation mode which impedes your metabolism-- the process that burns calories, so you end up burning fewer calories than if you had eaten breakfast. Your Mom was right-- breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Eat smaller meals more often 

By eating smaller meals more often, your body always has calories to burn so it keeps your metabolism working harder than it would if you only ate three meals per day. Just make sure all of calories from your smaller meals don't add up to more calories than you should be eating in a day. By eating the right foods in small portions, you should stay within the calorie range right for your based on age, gender weight and activity level.

Tip! When working out your abs, don't use only crunches. Through university studies, it has been shown that 250,000 crunches only burns a pound of fat.

Exercise

Taking in the right amount and type of calories is only half the battle. Burning them off is the other half. To lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat. While cardio training, like running, walking, swimming, etc. burn the most calories, however you should also include strength training at least twice a week (but not two days in a row). By building muscle, your body will burn more calories, even while at rest, than it did before.

Get enough sleep 

Tip! Keep a journal or record of your daily activities. This includes all of your exercises, food, and beverages.

Studies have shown that not getting an adequate amount of sleep can increase your appetite, disrupt your metabolism-- both which can slow down weight loss. And because you are exercising, your body needs sleep so it can repair the small muscle tears that happen from strength training. Losing weight is challenging, but by following these 5 tips, it at least gives you a process to follow so you can be successful.

Tip! Investing in a personal trainer is a wise investment if you can afford it. A personal trainer will offer insight in addition to the motivation you need to keep working at an exercise routine.

Most holiday foods are high in calories, saturated fat and sugar-- all which can sabotage your weight loss attempts if kept in the house. One common mistake people make trying to lose weight make is skipping breakfast thinking that by not consuming those calories, it will help with their weight loss.

 By not eating breakfast in the morning, your body goes into starvation mode which slows down your metabolism-- the process that burns calories, so you end up burning fewer calories than if you had eaten breakfast.

By eating the right foods in small portions, you should stay within the calorie range right for your based on age, gender weight and activity level. To lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat.