How to Lose Weight Gradually

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Millions of people want to lose weight, but very few people lose weight the right way. You have to be patient and understand that it takes time to become healthier and lose weight the correct way.

Steps

1. You must first realize how much food you are eating. Look at how much you put on your plate and ask yourself if you are really full after each meal. If you are miserable after you eat because you are eating too much, then that is an obvious sign that you should eat smaller portions. You should not feel full after every meal, but you should feel content and no longer hungry.
   
2. Once you have a good idea of how much you normally eat, begin to cut down on that amount, but only by a little bit. DO NOT SKIP MEALS! Many people make the mistake of starving themselves when they want to lose weight. This only causes you to be very hungry, so that when you eat later, you eat even more than normal. Also, if you completely starve yourself, your body will go into defense mode and store the fat in your body for later because it believes you do not have enough food. When you first cut down on your food amount, you only need to cut down a spoonful at a time.
   
3. Gradually increase the amount of food that you are cutting down. One thing that helps some people is to begin eating off of a smaller plate. A full small plate looks like more food then a few piles of food on a big plate.
   
4. Once you are accustomed to eating a smaller amount, try to begin eating a little healthier. Again, if you totally cut all of the foods you love from your diet, you will crave them and overeat when you have the chance to eat them. Begin eating more of the healthy foods that you do like, and try to learn to like the ones that you don't. Try to bake some of your foods that are usually fried, and make a visit to a produce stand. Produce stands do charge more than the grocery store, but their merchandise is often better quality and is more likely to satisfy.
   
5. While you are getting healthy, it is important to exercise as well. Do not go crazy and overdo it. Start small. If you have access to exercise equipment, use it. Walk on a treadmill, starting at ten minutes each time. Walking on a treadmill will not do much for your body, but walking for any length of time without stopping increases your endurance and this will help you when you decide to try more difficult exercise, such as jogging and running outside in the heat. Also, do some crunches. Do not put your hands behind your neck because that will put unnecessary strain on your back. Do not sit all the way up, just do crunches. Remember your goal is to lose weight, but to go all the way you need to be healthier all around.
   
6. Always check the ingredients, calories, fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins of the food you buy. Food with a lot of vitamins will give you more energy and will not make you hungry, unlike foods that are all sugar. Keep an eye on your calorie, fat, and carbs. intake, but don't become a counter. Remember, you are on your own diet, losing weight at your own pace. Simply use your head, and do not blow 500 calories on a cinnamon roll. If you are going to eat 500 calories of anything, make it something that will fill you up.
   
7. Do not get frustrated it you do not see results immediately. The goal is to lose weight gradually. When you lose weight gradually, you keep it off. Dropping 5 pounds in one day is not healthy, and it will not stay off. Just be patient, keep working, and always remind yourself that you want to be healthier and that you want to have a better body. If you have no motivation, it will be much harder to succeed.
   

Tips

• Buy some breakfast bars. This is a quick meal if you have little time for breakfast, and they have many vitamins in them and will keep you full until lunch time.
  
• Try eating a meal bar instead of having lunch. If it satisfies you until dinner, then consider eating them sometimes in order to lose weight a little faster. These are not for everybody, and if you aren't satisfied when you eat one then you should stay away from them because they are meant to replace a meal and should not be eaten in addition to one.
  
• Do not snack all day and then have one big meal because your stomach needs to shrink and it won't if you keep eating too much at one time.
  
• When you go out to eat, be very careful about how much you eat. All restaurants serve way too much food, so try to eat only half of your food, or order the burger but don't have the French fries. Also, if they serve bread or chips before the meal, be very careful how much of that you eat.
  
• Find healthy snacks that you like. My favorite is taking apple slices and dipping them in peanut butter, and then dipping them in granola. The apple is fruit, the peanut butter is protein, and the granola is fiber. This snack is healthy, satisfying, and delicious.
  
• Watch what you drink as well. Milk is not only good for you, but it is said to help you lose weight. Make sure you buy skim, 1%, or 2%. Do not by whole milk. Also, cut down on the soda. If you are addicted to Cokes, try drinking diet. Not only will Cokes contribute a lot of calories to your diet, they are bad for your teeth. So, if you can't give them up completely, at least cut down, and try to drink diet.
  
• Remember, there is no excuse for not getting nutrients. You should eat healthy food, and even if you don't, there are other ways to get your vitamins. Health food is everywhere now and it almost always has tons of nutrients in it. One bottle of V8 has three vegetable servings in it, and of course there are always vitamins. However, be careful with vitamins because some of them can increase your appetite.
  
• Try to slowly wean yourself off of junk food rather than suddenly having no junk food. Going from a lot to zero overnight can be a serious shock to your system.
  

Warnings

• You might have to spend a bunch of money on new clothes because everything you own will be too big for you.
  
• Random people may flirt with you.
  
• People may pester you to find out how you did it.
  
• You may come to love the way you look and feel.
  
• Your energy levels may skyrocket.
  

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