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Losing weight means giving up all the things you love in life? This is often one of the most common reasons behind the hesitance people face when it comes to starting their weight loss journey. Still here finding a way on how to start a weight loss journey?
Well, majority of the people start with drawing inspiration from other people’s weight loss journey. And while the same might seem effective enough, it is momentary. The inspiration lasts for a week or a month and then everything goes down the drain.
So, what is the best way to getting started with weight loss and that too, in the healthiest way possible? Let’s dive into it, shall we?
Start With Asking Yourself “WHY”
As trivial as this might seem and sound, it actually isn’t. Understanding the WHY is what keeps you going through the process instead of abandoning it mid way through.
The dress that you saw in the window display of the boutique did catch your attention. Right? While cursing the brand for not being inclusive enough in fashion isn’t necessarily going to make you fit into the dress, starting a weight loss journey can.
This could be a very plausible WHY.
I am just giving you examples. The WHY can be anything and the same should be something that stirs your choices and desperation because otherwise, the results from the weight loss journey are not going to be fruitful enough for you.
Jump onto Assessing the “FOR HOW LONG?”
Now that you know the desperation that is driving you to start the weight loss journey, the next point of assessment before starting the weight loss journey is to understand for how long you will be sticking to the weight loss program.
This is the crucial part because this is where you set goals for yourself. As mentioned in the example above, if you want to fit into the dress, you need to lose a few pounds before they decide to go out of stock with that dress, right?
So, how long is it going to take you to achieve the desired weight loss goals you have set for yourself? This is the key to getting successful results. When you have an ultimatum, it drives you to achieve things in a much better way.
The most important part in this is to realize the fact that failure is also a part of the process and to be ready for the same as well.
How Confident are You?
It might not seem like much but your overall confidence level is definitely something that does impact how you start your weight loss journey, abide by it and even achieve the desired results in the end.
So, I ask you again. How confident are you?
Getting Started with Weight Loss
Now that we do have all the necessities swept aside, it is time for us to start focusing on some of the best ways to start losing weight and that too, in the healthiest way possible.
In this section, we will actually help you through with some of the most effective ways in which one can kick-start their weight loss journey and successfully lose weight without having to fret about the consequences.
Check Out These Ways To Kick Start A Weight Loss Journey
1. Jot down your daily diet and what you ate
The very first step to starting a weight loss journey is to maintain a food journal (R) with all the necessary information about daily diet and the necessary streaks associated with the same.
If you consider this a complete waste of time, you’d be surprised to know that even a number of studies have concluded stating that maintaining a journal is actually quite fruitful in contributing to amazing results of the weight loss.
The major reason behind the same is because it helps you assess the kind of habits and diet plans (R) you are adhering to and then make the salient changes to the same effectively.
When we mention that it is necessary to keep a track of every aspect of the diet (R) and the habits that means everything. From the morning drink to the last meal or even the snack you had. If you want to be a bit extra, keep note of the timings of the meals and the diet plans too.
2. Take All The Anthropometric Measurements
The very first step to getting started with weight loss is to measure yourself, be it the waist size or even the overall weight, for that matter. Keep note of every aspect of it and then plan your weight loss goals accordingly.
Getting on the scale can definitely be daunting and you might even step back more often than you take a step forward but this is the very first step in terms of the overall weight loss journey. Without having knowledge of what you are working around with, it does become hard for people to make definitive goals to achieve.
If possible, aside from the measurements, take a picture of the “BEFORE” phase too. Study (R) has also show that apparently weighing yourself every day throughout the weight loss journey helps in losing weight more effectively.
The initial days of this process might seem scary but trust me, witnessing the transformation yourself is actually an amazing process.
3. Select A Diet Plan That Works For You
With that aside, the next thing in line on how to start a weight loss journey is to select a diet plan that is well suited for your lifestyle as well as your body needs.
Keep this in mind that losing weight is not about opting for extreme measures till you can’t even sustain yourself, it is about opting for ways that will actually help you shed off those excess pounds in the healthiest way possible.
This is why selecting a diet plan that works (R) according to your lifestyle is important. Select a plan that you will be able to stick to. If you are opting for a Ketogenic diet, ensure that you stay true to it throughout the whole process.
4. Start The Day With Protein
You might not think much of it but consuming protein is possibly the very best way to get about the necessary nutrition you need for jumpstarting your weight loss needs.
While carbs and other forms of nutrition will soon fizzle down throughout the day and make your hungry quicker, protein tends to stay in the system for a longer period of time, ensuring to keep you satiated for longer periods of time.
This ensures that you consume maintained portion of food which is often key to getting the best results when it comes to the weight loss goals.
Even in a conducted study (R) among 105 subjects, it was found that the subjects who consumed a high protein diet lost more weight in comparison to the ones who consumed a standard protein diet for 6 months straight. While the ones on the high protein diet lost over 7 kgs of weight, the ones on a standard protein diet lost 5.1 kgs of weight.
This itself should clarify for a fact why starting the day off with a protein rich meal should be part of your weight loss journey.
5. Sign Up To A Fitness Application
As cliché and as pretentious as it might sound, signing up to any of the fitness application is actually an amazing way to start weight loss journey.
This is like maintaining a virtual food and fitness journey for yourself. The only factor that makes it superior is the fact that it provides you with the accurate data about your weight loss journey progress.
Make sure that you sign up to an application (R) that is actually worthy of the investments and won’t end up being a complete waste of your time.
These fitness applications help you keep a track of not just the amount of calories you are consuming but also the kind of fitness programme you can adhere to get the maximum benefits (R).
6. Accept Failure To Achieve Success
Failure is part of the overall weight loss journey.
If you are starting a weight loss journey with a notion that you will be able to achieve everything, you are sorely mistaken.
None of the weight loss journeys are smooth like butter. There are going to be hardships and ups and downs that you need to work around to get the maximum results from. The failures are a measurement of your determination. If you lose the motivation in the midst of that, chances are that you won’t even be able to hang on to make the long term commitments when it comes to weight loss.
If you have been seeking answers to how to start a weight loss journey, start with making up your mind first. Train yourself to understand that you might fail through the process (R) but the same is completely normal and happens to the best of the best.
7. Set Realistic Goals (Ones that are Achievable)
Yet another one of the amazing steps to getting started with weight loss is to start by setting realistic goals. If your goals are not good enough, chances are that you will end up failing through the process and gain nothing through the journey of weight loss. That is possibly the last thing you want to do.
In order to achieve attainable goals, it is necessary that you set up some realistic ones. Don’t expect to lose 50 pounds in a week. That is not possibly if you want to do it in a healthy way, ensure to opt for healthier means as well.
Start with setting up goals for a short-term period and note for yourself the impacts you witness in your overall body weight. When you have realistic goals and that too for short term periods, achieving them becomes a lot easier in comparison to the unrealistic long term ones.
8. Double up on the Vegetables
As much as you hate eating vegetables, if you are looking for a sore spot on where to start losing weight, this is it.
Vegetables, as undesirable as it might be for some, are actually quite beneficial for a number of health benefits. Not only are they loaded with beneficial nutrients but they are also loaded with all the essential fibers (R) that are needed for the body’s overall metabolism.
If you didn’t know, fibers (R) play a very crucial role in attaining your satiety a lot quicker. So, if you have been meaning to lose weight and that too in the healthiest way possibly, start with eating more vegetables.
When you double your vegetable intake and cut down the unnecessary carbs and starchy foods from the diet, losing weight becomes a lot easier in comparison.
9. Start Planning the Meals
One of the easiest ways to keep your body healthy and in check is to ensure that you start making switches in your diet.
If your diet isn’t healthy enough, chances are that it will end up affecting your overall weight loss goals. Make sure to always plan your meals ahead of time.
The best way to start losing weight is by starting a grocery and meal prep plan (R) ahead of time. Start with planning for the entire week and then spice it up by going ahead for two weeks.
Buy the grocery accordingly and if possibly, meal prep for the entire week on the weekend (R) itself so you can save time and even don’t have excuses to back out at the last moment.
10. Clean out the kitchen
This might make you stop and question how it fits into the prospect of “How to start a weight loss journey” but trust me, this makes all the difference and even more.
One of the most common reasons why people delay weight loss programs is mainly because of the fact that it brings about the headache of planning and having to cook your own meals.
The last thing you want to do is make the food in a completely cluttered kitchen. If you wish to gain better view at the work space and the area around the kitchen, start with cleaning it from head to toe.
De-clutter the kitchen (R) and start by organizing the food around the kitchen. Make sure that you clean out the refrigerator as well to make space for the bulk grocery and meal prep you are about to indulge in.
11. Start Drinking Calorie free Drinks
When I mention calorie free drinks, I don’t necessarily mean water. If you wish to start a weight loss journey, it is best suggested to ditch the carbonated and high sugar induced (R) drinks. These are not just bad for your weight and overall metabolism, but do impact the insulin levels in the body as well.
Drinking just water can be boring and bland on your palate. The best way to switch up your diet is to start consuming infused water which has beneficial impacts in boosting your overall weight loss and also helping in detoxification of the body.
If you wish to start losing weight in a healthy way, make sure that you start making healthier choices. Instead of a soft drink, opt for something healthier like fresh pressed juices or even infused water, for that matter.
12. Start Exercising
When it comes to making healthier choices and the best way to start losing weight, it is important to ensure that you not just depend on the diet and make no changes to your overall lifestyle.
Irrespective of what you do, even if you cut down all the junk food and unhealthy food, you won’t necessarily witness the desirable weight loss results until and unless you make your life active (R) again. If you don’t have an active lifestyle, chances are that it might end up affecting the way you lose weight.
Including mild exercises in the beginning (R) and then working your way up to doing the strenuous exercises is actually an effective and good way to lose weight in a healthy way. When you exercise and maintain a healthy diet at the same time, it does affect how it tones down the body throughout the process of the weight loss.
Irrespective of what might be the initial stepping stone for your aspect of how to start a weight loss journey, it is how you handle the process throughout that makes all the difference. If you wish to start shedding off those extra pounds to lead a healthier lifestyle again, it is time to start making healthy choices.
