Maintaining your weight

Maintaining your weight is just as important. I wouldn’t call it dieting, rather healthy and controlled eating habits. Avoid fried food, confectioneries and other high carb food. Even if you indulge yourself in good food at a party, a picnic or a restaurant, balance it out in the next day or two. Keep the weighing machine in your bathroom or under your bed and check your weight every 2 to 3 days. Whenever you get 1 or 2 pounds over your desired weight, execute the same diet plan for a week and get your weight to where you want it to be. You don’t want to undergo the 2 month diet plan once again. Remember to keep a balance in what you eat and in the rest of your life as well :-)

The execution part of your weight loss plan

This is how I lost 25 pounds in 2 months and if you want to do it too, then you should divide your 2 month-25 pound weight loss phase into weeks. During a week, 5 days are for dieting and 2 days are meant to be a break in the dieting and get you mentally prepared for the next week. 5 days of dieting seem to be do-able and one looks forward to the 2-day break. Breaks should preferably be on weekends. During the 5 days of dieting every weeks your daily intake should be :-

• Three meals a day. Tea with skimmed milk in between meals. Green tea is also a good alternative to black tea. NOTHING ELSE.
  
• Drink as much water as you can or feel like.
  
• You can have eggs, chicken or red meat for meals. This is also sometimes called the protein diet.
  
• A meal can consist of any one of the following:-
  
• 2 eggs, boiled, scrambled or baked without oil.
  Fish prepared with any condiments except sugar or oil.
  Chicken, or any form of red meat boiled or grilled, again, without oil.
  Green salad, carrots or radish can also be included in a meal.
  
• Meals must not contain any form of carbohydrates e.g. rice, flour, sugar, honey, whole milk etc.
• Do not eat anything after 8 pm or at least 2 hours before you go to sleep.
• Walk briskly for about 20 to 25 minutes daily.

During the 2-day break every week, you can eat the things you like but in a very reduced quantity. This will boost your morale to an extent that will enable you to endure another 5 days of dieting. However, you should keep the quantity less and avoid fried and sweet food because you do not want to waste the 5 days of hard work you have already put in. Keep monitoring and recording your weight every day. The initial 3 to 5 pounds are shed very quickly and prove to be very encouraging. This should however be kept in mind that weight loss is not a uniform process. After shedding the first few pounds, your weight will seem to get fixed at a certain level and you would think that all the hard work is not paying off. Don’t worry at all. As I said earlier, it is not a uniform process. You just have to stick to your diet plan. And the scale will start moving backwards once again, ounce-by-ounce.

Importance of setting a practical time limit for your weight reduction plan. You must also phase your weight loss plan. DO NOT RUSH IT.

If someone claims to be able to make you lose 25 pounds in 2 weeks, well in my opinion, it is simply not possible. You should set a practical goal for yourself which, as per my experience, should be 25 pounds in 2 months that too not in a single stretch. On the other hand, if you have more than 25 pounds to lose then divide the total weight loss plan in multiple phases, each phase spread over 2 months for 25 pounds of weight loss. If you try to rush into losing weight, chances are that you end up quitting once again. We all agree that dieting is not a very enjoyable experience and who likes to stay on an empty stomach.

Other "MUST HAVEs" for your big plan. A weighing machine, a life-size mirror, A dress that fits your current size, a measuring tape and a diary.

Now that you have decided to lose weight, there are a few things that you might already have. If not, then this is the only investment I would encourage you to make. These are the “instruments of encouragement” not only in your diet plan but to keep you at the desired weight in future.

Weighing Machine

Any weighing machine is okay till the time it is an accurate one, preferably a digital one.

A Diary and a Measurement Tape

Any diary will do. Just earmark it for keeping a record of your weight and measurements of your waist, hips, thighs, arms and chest. You should measure these parts of your body as it is a major source of motivation, but not too frequently. Once a week will do. Although not a must, it would be better if someone else does the measurements for you while you stand up straight and relaxed. However, weight must me monitored and recorded on a daily basis. This gives you a fair idea about how about your progress and long it will take for you to reach your goal.

A Life-size Mirror

A mirror is yet another source of motivation that keeps you on the weight loss plan and makes you feel better day-by-day as you get into shape.

A Dress that fits your current size

Yes, you need to remember, from where you started. It gives you a reference size to track your progress.

"Determination". The single most valuable resource that you need to lose weight.

Determination, Determination, Determination.

This is the word that you need to keep at the back of your mind whenever you are at a party with very nice food, at a restaurant, or when a friend offers you a drink or your favorite chocolate bar or simply on weekends watching a nice movie and feel the urge to grab some pop corn and a soda can. Determination is by far, the single most important factor that will get you to your desired weight level and keep you there.

You probably have tried to lose weight earlier as well but given up on it. You must also be wondering how on earth people claim to have shed X number of pounds while you cannot remain on a diet for more than 2 days. You must also have thought that people are born with the gift of a slim physique despite eating whatever they feel like, while you gain weight even if you smell food. I also have had the same thoughts. I had tried to lose weight a couple of times earlier, but gave it up as I could not muster enough determination to remain on the track. It is however, determination alone that will enable you to endure the 2 months of dieting and will make you proud of yourself everyday for the rest of your life.

So buckle up and tell yourself that you are going to do it. You are going to lose the extra weight, keep it at that level and you are going to feel very good about yourself.

So you need to lose weight. What Next ??

So you have discovered (or finally accepted the fact) that you need to lose weight but at the same time, don't think that you can let go of all the goodies in life i.e. chocolates, French fries, donuts or pastries to name a few. I have never come across a person who does not realize that he or she needs to lose the extra fat accumulated over many years of bad eating habits. And when it comes to shedding the extra pounds, people start off by reading magazine or Internet articles, discussing it with friends, ordering some weight loss pills or other gadgets, getting a gym membership or signing up for yoga classes, buying a nice pair of jogging shoes and some sweat shirts / shorts, putting together a collection of favorite music on the iPod for jogging, but the weight loss story ends when it is time to start working on the weight loss plan. The result is that you only have parted with a few hundred (sometimes much more than a few hundred) dollars of your hard earned cash and (sadly) not the extra fat you are carrying day in and day out.

Some of the most common reasons (rather excuses) people have for not being able to lose weight are :-

1. Whenever I start dieting I feel too weak and lethargic, therefore I cannot perform my routine tasks at the office or household chores.
2. I am too busy to go on a diet at the moment. I’ll start dieting during summer vacations.
3. My man (or woman) likes me the way I am. Why should I endure the agony of controlling my appetite and go on a diet.
4. OMG, that chocolate cake is too delicious to pass up. Dieting can go to hell.
5. My weight is just fine. People are just jealous of me so they tell me to lose weight.
6. I don’t believe in the BMI, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases and a healthy lifestyle mumbo jumbo. Weight loss is not my cup of tea.
   

But whatever the excuse, one knows very well if he or she needs to lose weight. I knew it. I was over weight by at least 20 pounds even when the idea of losing weight had never crossed my mind. And even when I started to think about it, I did not believe that I could lose that much. Besides, my average day included preparing breakfast for the kids, a long and tiring day at the elementary school where I am a teacher and a coordinator, preparing lunch after school, preparing assignments, workshop papers and exams for my Master’s degree and finally preparing the dinner. In such a hectic schedule, one needs to have “food”, and lots of it. Just to think of going on a diet seemed “Mission impossible”. It was however, support and encouragement from my husband that enabled me to gather enough determination to see me through the weight reduction experience, which I must tell you was by no means, an easy task.

Having said all that, the day you start getting noticed for your slim and trim looks, the momentary pleasure you derive out of bad eating habits will simply become very easy to pass up and the agony of spending a MAJOR portion of your day on empty stomach will become a matter of routine, rather a second nature and you will bask in the glory of the NEW YOU.

When do you need to lose weight. The " Body Mass Index (BMI) " in simple words.

When Do you Need to Lose Weight

The body mass index (BMI) is a measurement which shows the ratio of a person's weight to his or her height. It is considered to be a useful tool to estimate body weight based on how tall a person is, although it does not provide any estimate of a person’s body fat. It is the most widely used as an indicator of weight problems like being underweight, overweight or being obese. It was invented in 1830 a Belgian called Adolphe Quetelet.



Body mass index is defined as the individual's body weight divided by the square of his or her height. The formulae to measure BMI is kg/m2. BMI can also be determined using the BMI chart above. You can calculate your exact BMI with the help of a very easy-to-use BMI Calculator provided below and then find out which weight category you fall in, from the BMI Category chart below. This will help you determine how much weight you need to lose.

Tips to lose Weight Based on "My Own" Experiences

Losing Weight .... Can it happen for Me ???

Every woman dreams of having the perfect figure and deserves to get a no-nonsense guide to losing the extra pounds. However, as I have experienced the frustration first hand, most of the women today are overwhelmed by the huge loads of Information today's Internet sites provide when it comes to losing weight. Furthermore, almost every website ends up asking the visitor to spend X amount of dollars for specific weight loss products that range from various weight loss appetite reduction pills, diet plans, physical exercises and an arbitrary combination of all these. In my opinion (and experience), the best way to lose weight is the natural way, without spending a single dollar. This may sound too good to be true, but I am determined to get all those who wish to lose weight, that too without spending anything, to do so based on my experiences on the topic. Besides, if there was a natural "Paid" way of losing weight, none of the celebrities would have to undergo painful surgical procedures to get into shape, and people making millions (probably billions) from plastic surgery, liposuction, tummy-tucks etc. would go bankrupt.

So...

Can this really happen for you without spending a Dollar ? Off course it can, and let me assure you, it will. Just read on, and on the way build up your determination to reach your target weight.

For ease of navigating through my blog and detailed description, follow the links below or to the right in "Blog Archive" section:-

1. When do you need to lose weight. The "Body Mass Index" in simple words.
2. So you need to lose weight. What Next ??
3. "Determination". The single most valuable resource that you need to lose weight.
4. Other "MUST HAVEs" for your big plan. A weighing machine, a life-size mirror, a dress that fits your current size, a measuring tape and a diary.
5. Importance of setting a practical target weight and time limit for your weight reduction plan. You must also phase your weight loss plan. DO NOT RUSH IT.
6. The execution part of your weight loss
7. Maintaining your weight.

I have tried to explain how I managed to lose 25 pounds in 2 months. If you want to know anything else in this regard, I'll be happy to reply. Just post a comment. So, GOOD LUCK and hope to listen about your success story in 2 months.