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Eating vegetable soup for weight loss is one of the simplest, most delicious staples you can add to your healthy lifestyle. Vegetable soup is filling, satisfying, and still low in calories – it’s like the perfect diet food that doesn’t taste like diet food.

How to Make Vegetable Soup for Weight Loss:

Making vegetable soup is as easy as it gets! Start with 2-3 quarts of broth, any flavor you like: vegetable, beef, or chicken. Some people like to also add vegetable juice or tomato juice. Add a Continue reading “Eating Vegetable Soup for Weight Loss” »

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How is it possible that we can eat more and lose more weight? We’ve always been told that to lose weight, we need to reduce our caloric intake so that our bodies can start burning stored fat. But sometimes that can backfire because we accidentally send our bodies a “famine” signal – there aren’t enough calories coming in, so our bodies react by slowing everything down, hanging onto every bit of stored fat possible. Continue reading “Eat More, Lose More Weight!” »

Staying motivated to lose weight isn’t easy, especially when you start getting bored with the daily grind of workouts, counting calories, and using willpower to overcome temptation.

There is an easy way to stay motivated about losing weight, however, and that is by deliberately challenging yourself. Think about this for a moment: one of the reasons that diets and healthy lifestyle plans are so exciting at the beginning is because you are looking forward to the challenge. You know it’s not going to be easy, but you feel confident that you can meet the challenge and achieve your goal. The problem is, that initial excitement rarely lasts more than a few weeks, maybe a month. After that, you start feeling annoyed that you haven’t reached your goal yet.

Staying motivated to lose weight requires the same eager anticipation of challenges that you felt when you first began your journey toward a slimmer you. To keep that passionate fire burning, you need to keep pushing yourself to achieve more and more – and not necessarily just the number of pounds you lose.

In fact, it’s a good idea to center your challenges around things that you can control 100%. You aren’t always in control of how many pounds and inches you lose, because they fluctuate regularly. But you are in control of the actions you take each day. Challenge yourself to eat more vegetables. Challenge yourself to drink more water. Challenge yourself to extend your workouts by 10 minutes or more. Challenge yourself to train for a marathon, and then challenge yourself by actually running one.

Each and every day, come up with fun ways to challenge yourself. You can make them big or small challenges – in fact, it’s a good idea to have a mixture of both. The smaller challenges give you an ongoing sense of satisfaction and pride about your progress, while the bigger challenges make you dig deep and give them everything you’ve got.

Staying motivated to lose weight is dependent upon your attitude; nothing else. Push yourself, inspire yourself, get excited and passionate about your goals, and you won’t be able to help yourself – you’ll have to keep going, achieving more and more wonderful results. Before you know it, you’ve reached your weight loss goal. Don’t stop there, however. Keep challenging yourself even after you’ve reached your goal, and you’ll be much more likely to keep the weight off for good.

The “can’t” bug can easily contaminate any goal you set, and this is especially true with weight loss goals. Once you start to believe in the possibility of “can’t,” it quickly multiplies and takes over everything you do. Before long, it paralyzes you completely so you’re too afraid to even try anymore.

One of the most empowering things you can do is remove the word “can’t” from your vocabulary, especially as it applies to your goals. A good way to do this is to make a list of things you CAN do.

Example:

I CAN improve my eating habits.
I CAN work out each day.
I CAN drink more water.
I CAN avoid eating junk food.
I CAN take better care of myself.
I CAN be patient and lose one pound at a time.
I CAN trust myself to make the right decisions.

As you keep focusing on the things you CAN do, instead of the things you fear you can’t do, you’ll empower yourself to find ways around obstacles, and pick yourself up again after you fall.

Remember, “can’t” only gives you a convenient excuse to fall back on if you get tired of trying. In fact, if you even allow yourself to believe that failure is a possibility, it means you don’t really believe you can succeed. You can turn that around by refusing to believe that failure is even possible. If you refuse to accept the possibility of failure, you’ll have no choice but to keep moving toward your goal until you achieve it.

You will be most tempted to entertain the thought of failure when you face challenges and obstacles. During those moments you’ll probably start to think, “What if I can’t do it? What if I can’t get through this and I give up?”

Right then, when those thoughts start creeping into your mind, is the time to squash them for good. Either make a list like the one above that focuses on everything you CAN do, or firmly push the negative thoughts out and label them as fears. Fears have no substance unless you keep giving them your energy and attention. If you refuse to dwell on them, they must dissipate.

The most empowering thing to understand about can and can’t is that it’s a choice you can make in each and every moment. You simply choose which one you are going to believe in, and it will be so. (Choose CAN as often as possible!)

Self-consciousness can be a big problem when you’re trying to lose weight. Either you’ll feel too self-conscious to workout in public, so you avoid going to the gym or taking walks outside; or you’ll sabotage your weight loss because you don’t want to call attention to yourself by losing weight at all.

At its core, self-consciousness is the worry about what other people think of you. Most often, you feel like others are making fun of you or otherwise being judgmental. This worry about other people’s perceptions can be very strong at times, holding you back Continue reading “How to Stop Worrying What Everyone Else Thinks” »

Do weight loss success stories inspire you? Do you love looking at before and after pictures and reading the stories that go along with them? Do you look forward to someday having your own success story to share? Why not start putting it together right now?

It doesn’t matter if you still have more weight to lose; and it doesn’t matter if you haven’t even lost a single pound yet. Creating your weight loss success story right now is a great way to stay motivated to reach your goals.

Start by giving a little background information about yourself. Were you always overweight? When did you gain weight? Imagine that you are writing your story to be shared on a popular weight loss website or magazine. Other people who desperately want to lose weight are going to see your before and after pictures and read your story and think to themselves, “Wow, he/she looks great! If he/she can do it, so can I!”

With that in mind, make your story as inspiring as possible. Detail any struggles you had to work through, and any big realizations you received as you lost the weight and got into fantastic shape.

Here’s the fun part: now highlight all of the wonderful ways your life has changed since you’ve lost all of the weight. Put a lot of positive emotion into it and really get those creative juices flowing!

Here’s an example of how it might look:

“Since reaching my goal weight, I cannot believe how amazing life has become for me! I feel so good about myself and my confidence level is through the roof. My supervisor at work noticed and gave me a raise, followed by a BIG promotion just recently. I’m now making a lot more money and enjoying a lot more time off. My husband and I are traveling more, and we’re having a blast (no more worrying about bikini season, I can wear them any time now). Losing that weight was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself, and I’m never going back to my old, unhealthy habits again. I feel so much better, I know I look better, and life is really good for me now.”

Once you’ve finished writing your weight loss success story, print it and carry it with you. Read it multiple times a day and look forward to having every word on that paper be absolutely true. It’s a fantastic way to inspire and motivate yourself to keep moving forward until you reach your goal and your success story DOES become real.

Are you struggling with obesity? Have you tried to lose weight and just can’t seem to make it happen? First, it’s important to know that you’re not alone. Losing weight is a challenge. The good news is that there are numerous resources to help you manage weight loss and obesity. Here?s how to know when it?s time to get help managing your obesity.

#1 You don?t know where to start. It’s easy to know you need to lose weight. It’s not so easy to know how to begin losing the weight. If you feel overwhelmed or would just like some guidance then it?s time to get help. Look into meeting with a nutritionist and a personal trainer. Make sure both experts have experience working with obesity and the related health concerns.

#2 You have a plan to lose weight and exercise ? you just can’t seem to stick to it. If this is you then chances are your plan isn’t customized for your personality and basic needs. The best way to achieve big goals is to take baby steps to get there. Small steps are easier to accomplish. Consider seeking help modifying your weight loss plan.

You don’t have to lose all your weight at once. A pound a week is a great start. Over the course of a year that’s 52 pounds so it adds up too. Consider consulting a coach to help you create a weight loss plan that makes sense for you.

#3 You hate to exercise. Okay, so for many exercise is a bad word. This is common and it?s easy to overcome. Consider changing your mindset. Instead of  “exercise” call it “activity.”  Find an activity you enjoy. Perhaps you like to bird watch. Going on a weekly bird watching walk is great exercise. Perhaps you like to swim or dance.

Sign up for a dance class or get a pass to your local pool. Exercise doesn’t mean you have to lift weights and run a marathon. Start by doing something that you love. Get help managing your fitness by exercising with friends. Find an instructor that makes you laugh. Make sure you?re having fun and exercise won?t feel like exercise.

#4 You’re on your own without much support. It’s tough to lose weight without the support of others. If you don’t have a support system at home go out and find one. Join a group online. There are many obesity and weight loss support groups. There are also fun sites where you can network with others who are trying to lose weight too. You can support each other to succeed.

Join a group offline. Your community likely has several weight loss programs or fitness clubs. Join one that is designed to help you meet your needs.

#5 You’re dealing with emotional issues. Often, obesity is caused by or triggers emotional issues. Many people eat because they?re unhappy. If you’re struggling with the emotions of obesity or past traumas consider getting therapy. Once you’re able to come to terms with your emotions you can begin to control your eating habits. You can live a happy, healthy and fulfilling life.

Managing obesity is difficult. You don?t have to go it alone. Look for support. Find programs and system that work for you. And remember, you’re not alone with your obesity. Many people all around the world are going through the same struggles. Find those people and connect.

When you want to lose weight, figuring out the best time of day to exercise is helpful. You certainly could work out at any time during the day or evening, but is there a “best” time?

Many people prefer exercising in the early mornings more than any other time. A good workout before starting the day helps provide a boost of energy to carry you through any tasks you have to do that day. Another bonus; if you get the workout done first thing in the morning you don’t have to worry about it again all day. It’s done.

Some people prefer mid-day workouts. It’s not too early in the morning, not too late at night, and it’s a great way to avoid those mid-afternoon energy slumps. If you typically feel very sluggish and sleepy in the afternoons, a lunchtime workout can help pump you up and energize you into the evening.

Then there are people who prefer to work out in the evening after dinner. They feel less encumbered at that time, the workday is done, most of their obligations have been met, and they are ready to devote a little time to themselves by going to the gym or taking a brisk walk to help digest their dinner.

One or more of these times might work well for you too. The main question to consider is what time of day you typically feel most energetic? If you aren’t a morning person, trying to force yourself to get up early and work out might be a daily battle that you don’t want to fight. If you only have 20 or 30 minutes for your lunch, trying to do a workout at that time might be too difficult because it wouldn’t leave you much time to eat. If you are too rushed in the evenings, that may not be the best time of day to exercise for you.

Everyone is different and we all have different schedules. Finding the best time of day to exercise for you personally depends on your schedule, and how energetic you are at any given time throughout the day. In any case there’s no harm in trying workouts at different times. Eventually you’ll find a routine that works great for you.

The concept of self-love is uncomfortable for many people because they shudder to think about vain, egotistical people they’ve known. True self-love is nothing like vanity or egotism – in fact, quite the opposite. True self-love is subtle and humble, never obtrusive.

Why is self-love important in the process of losing weight?

Because if you don’t truly love yourself, you’ll struggle to do what’s best for you, including taking good care of your body and losing weight. When you really love yourself, you actually want to take care of yourself. You want to eat right and exercise. You want to get plenty of rest. You respect yourself and expect others to do the same.

If you don’t yet have such a strong sense of self-love, here’s how to develop it:

Self-Love Step #1 – Accept Yourself

Even though you are in the process of improving your body through weight loss and exercise, it’s important to accept yourself as you are right now. The worst thing you can do is complain about your body, or put yourself down in any way! Focus each day on being completely accepting of yourself, body, mind, and spirit. You can even speak to yourself kindly if it helps. Say things like this: “I completely love and accept myself now. I love myself even though I’m not perfect. I don’t have to be perfect to be lovable.”

Self-Love Step #2 – Be Gentle with Yourself

Do you often feel hostile and angry toward your body? Do you feel like it’s your enemy? Turn that around by making a conscious choice to treat your body gently. Don’t get angry at your extra pounds, don’t say mean things to yourself, and don’t expect yourself to change everything instantly. If you stop treating yourself like a misbehaving child, you’ll come to realize just how much better you feel with that one small change alone.

Self-Love Step #3 – Feel the Love

Going through the motions and saying the words isn’t enough – you have to FEEL the love for yourself. As you say “I love myself,” really focus on feeling a sense of love for yourself. It may take a little practice if you’ve never done that before, but the difference in your results will be profound.

Do you have a habit of eating while you are engaged in other activities like driving, browsing the internet, talking on the telephone, or watching television?  There are a couple of big problems with this multi-tasking habit.

First, you won’t be giving your undivided attention to the food you are eating, so you’ll end up eating much more than your body really needs and taking in more calories than you really need. Secondly, you will start to form a strong mental connection between food and the other activities, so that eventually you can’t do the other activities without having to eat something.

Breaking the connection between food and other activities is important because you won’t be influenced to eat more than you need according to what you are doing. Instead you’ll form a new habit of eating at the kitchen table or dining room table, and nowhere else.

To start, get an idea of which activities usually make you crave food and write them down. For most people, it will be activities like watching television, driving, talking on the phone, and being at the computer. Then, start breaking the connection between each activity and food. You can do it gradually if it feels overwhelming; otherwise make a clean break.

Sit down at the kitchen table and eat something before you start to watch TV or turn on the computer. Eat a snack before you get in the car to drive somewhere. While talking on the phone, chew gum or suck on a mint so you aren’t tempted to eat.

If a rogue craving strikes you while you are engaged in one of these activities, be strict about moving away from the computer, television, or other activity if you are going to eat.

The same concept applies if you regularly munch at work – if you sit at a desk, break the habit of eating and drinking while you work. Instead, visit the cafeteria or lounge for snacks and meals. Chew gum, suck on mints, or sip water while you work to keep your mouth busy.

Breaking the connection between food and other activities requires a bit of willpower, but it’s well worth the effort because you will no longer experience strong food cravings according to what you are doing.