Smith 
You do not need to deprive yourself or work out for three hours a day to lose weight. You will get more long-lasting results if you make a series of small changes, one at a time. Try the following tips to help you to achieve a more gradual and permanent weight loss.
To reduce your weight, maintain a diary that chronicles your intake of calories. Having the journal results in less food consumed, and will help you make healthier food choices. A healthy diet does more than exercise ever will to take off the pounds and keep them off.
A great way to lose weight is to listen to music when you are doing cardio. Doing cardio can be very monotonous and boring without anything to distract you. When you listen to music, you’ll stop checking the timer every few minutes, and you’ll be more likely to put more time in.
To help keep yourself motivated and to find like-minded friends, look for an online support group. There are many online communities focused on weight loss, healthy living, and friendship. You can share your success, fears, laughter, as well as find answers to questions you may have. Join one just to find a great friend to help you with your weight loss!
Adjusting your bedtime ritual can help you be successful on your weight loss journey. Adding an extra hour of sleep time has been shown to help people make better decisions when it comes to the food they eat. Feeling more alert also helps to reduce stress-eating.
Feel free to finish a meal early when you’re undergoing weight loss. The belief that we must finish every morsel served to us has led many grown people into serious weight issues. Instead of finishing the entire meal opt to take home the leftovers in a doggy bag. Don’t feel the need to eat every last bite of food purely because it’s on your plate. When you feel like you are full, stop eating.
Losing weight not only means eating healthy, it also means working out. Buying a pedometer will help you keep track of how much exercise you’re doing throughout the day. Not only will seeing a big set of numbers at the end of the day encourage you, being active will make you feel better and more accomplished.
If you are trying to lose weight do not make the mistake of believing that fruit juice is a valid substitution for eating fresh fruit. Many fruit juices are made from concentrate so they are loaded with added sugar. If you are going to have juice make sure that it is 100 percent juice that is not from concentrate.
Some of the most basic advice about weight loss is some of the oldest: watch your portions. For example, restaurants would have you believe that a steak should be the size of your head. However, a reasonable portion of meat would actually be the size of a deck of cards, or about as big as the palm of your hand.
Weight loss is about eating less and moving more. We need to eat less, certainly, but it’s just as important to move more. If you are unsure how to begin moving more, jump-start the process by buying a step counter or pedometer. These inexpensive devices will start tracking your steps automatically – the goal for a healthy person is 10,000 steps per day – and you can begin to ramp up the amount of walking you do.
Some restaurants make it easy to determine which choices will be smartest for those on a diet. Others, not so much. If the menu doesn’t make it clear, ask your server to indicate the healthiest choices available on the menu. If nothing looks appropriate, and that does happen, ask your server if they can make you up a fresh fruit plate or whether they have any vegetarian options. Restaurant cooks appreciate the chance to cook something off-menu, and you’ll get a healthier meal.
While trying to lose weight, you still may eat at fast food places from time to time. The best way to do this is to order the kid’s meal. Ordering a kid’s meal will control your portion and give you a taste of your favorite fast food. Don’t worry, if you are embarrassed to order a kid’s meal, go to the drive up window.
You should not treat your fork as if it is a shovel. It is better to take smaller bites, then stop eating once you feel satisfied. If you eat too quickly, you are probably going to eat much more because you have not allowed your stomach the chance to alert you about being full. It is not hard to lose weight if you keep a few tricks in mind.
You are more likely to stick with these new habits if you focus on making a few small changes at a time. Try adding only one or two of these tips a week, and you will be lighter and healthier in just a few months. Make these habits part of your regular routine, and you will benefit throughout the rest of your life.
