Inside Scoop: These 6 tips will help you if you want to lose weight naturally. 

They say that practice makes perfect, right?

Let us tell you that we have practiced weight loss enough times that we SHOULD be perfect at it. We’ve spent years habitually yo-yo dieting, obsessing over numbers, calories, carbs, fats, and our reflection in the mirror. We practiced being angry with ourselves for the way our bodies were, and let us tell you that yes, we 100% perfected that aspect of weight loss.

Although we’re nutritionists, we still haven’t completely mastered weight loss or nutrition.

We have days when we eat foods that make us feel bloated, or have nights when we end up enjoying a little bit too much ice cream or wine. Although we aren’t perfect, we have learned so much over the years as women who were obsessed with dieting, and as nutritionists who are interested in healthy weight loss management, that we do know a few things to be true.

Whether you have metabolic issues, hormonal imbalances, a tight budget, a stressful job, children, no time on your hands, or any other obstacles that can deter you from getting to where you want to be with your health and weight loss goals, these are the things that we have found are the first steps when you want to lose weight in a natural way, without dieting.

START WITH THESE 6 TIPS IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT NATURALLY, AND WITHOUT DIETING

LOVE THYSELF

What do you do in the day? Do you give yourself to everything around you; your job, your kids, your spouse, your parents and your friends? Do you think about yourself and your needs?

To be honest, sometimes the dog gets more attention than we tend to give to ourselves.  

We’ve been there. You think you have so much of yourself to give, so you do, because you love your family, friends, job, and even the dog. But when you give your all to everything else around you it can take away your confidence, leave you feeling drained and that makes it harder to take care of yourself.

It’s time to love yourself, take care of yourself and focus on yourself in a positive way, to be able to fully and capably take care of everything and everyone else around you.

TO DO TODAY: Look at yourself in the mirror and instead of thinking about all the things you wish you could change, say to yourself, you’re beautiful, you’re a wonderful mom, a great employee and you deserve to be happy.

SOME BASIC NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE

Remember that last diet or weight loss method you were on? The one that had you buying shakes, exercising your butt off, counting calories, and cutting out major nutrients for the sake of weight loss?

Our questions are; what did you learn from it? Did it give you the reasoning behind it all? Was there scientific data to back it up?

The thing is, no matter what your weight loss goal is, or what’s standing in the way of your success, you need to learn some basic nutrition information to understand why your body is the way it is. Every body is different, we metabolize foods differently, our bodies have different physiological requirements, our DNA is different, and our thought processes are different. Therefore, our diets should reflect our human differences.

When it comes to making food decisions, it’s important for you to understand the role of the 3 big macronutrients and why cutting one out (like some diets do, think fats and carbs) may not be sustainable for you. Also, having an understanding of blood sugars, hormones and how they work, how to enjoy whole foods, and how to deal with your cravings can be very important for your success.

TO DO TODAY: If you want to lose weight without dieting find some solid nutrition experts that have science-backed data and accurate information behind them, and always research before buying into something, especially if it sounds too good to be true.

HOW TO SHOP HEALTHY & READ LABELS

Shopping and reading labels is not an easy task. We have been hardwired to go to certain sections of the supermarket and hunt down brands that we know (and love). But these brands are usually ones we’ve come to love after years of conditioning. Conditioning by tradition and media during a time when prepackaged foods have become a way of life.

We’re not saying all foods that come in a package are bad. As a matter of fact, if you eat in moderation we’re not saying they are bad at all. But, it’s when you get to the point when you open your cupboards and all you can see is a pre-packaged diet. Why? Because this may mean your diet is high in:

• Too many preservatives & additives
• Refined sugar
• Excess sodium
• Food dyes
• Hydrogenated oils & fats

Having a better grasp on what to purchase at the grocery store, how to read labels, which ingredients to look for and which ones to avoid, how to create a meal plan for your family and how to store and save recipes will help ensure better success down the road.

TO DO TODAY: Next grocery shop, make sure you carefully read the labels before choosing a product. Look out for: refined sugars, trans fats/hydrogenated oils, and too many ingredients that you can’t understand.

ORGANIZING, MEAL PREPPING & RECIPE COLLECTING

You might get bored of pre-cooked chicken and rice 7 days a week, or you don’t know where to look for healthy recipes. Better yet, you try a bunch of healthy recipes online, and they just taste bland and boring.

Let us assure you, organizing, meal prepping and recipe collecting isn’t something that just happens overnight. You get in a groove and then you get out of it. But making sure you are stocked and ready for it all is essential for mastering meal prep.

We’re not saying you should have the same old boring thing every day. We like to have staples prepped and ready for the week, for example, a bunch of chicken breasts, roasted veggies, a batch of quinoa, and our favourite large batch soups, like this Winter Squash Leek & Vegetable Soup, and then come up with creative ways to make meals and utilize leftovers.

TO DO TODAY: Write a list of the whole foods you eat every week without thinking about what you eat them in (a grocery list basically), then go to Pinterest and find creative ways to turn these prepped foods into meals. Anything is possible.

EATING OUT/ SOCIALIZING

This is another tricky one if you want to lose weight. Eating out, or being around people who don’t have the same dietary goals as you, can be hard when you are trying to lose weight and change your eating habits. But there are always ways that you can eat out and socialize without feeling guilty about it all.

First things first, let it go. If you have something that you normally would tell yourself you shouldn’t have, don’t sweat it. That one meal isn’t going to hinder your weight loss efforts. Learning how to balance the eating out or eating on-the-go and socializing is going to be a huge part of your success.

TO DO TODAY: If you plan on eating out or going to a party with food you can’t control, try to balance your meals accordingly. You could eat really light beforehand (a large salad and some light snacks), or you could prep your meals for the following day so you don’t get into a carb load frenzy. Keep it simple and don’t overthink it, if you feel like a slice of pizza go for it, but have it with a side of salad or greens.

STRESS MANAGEMENT & EXERCISE

Stress is one of the top culprits for weight gain, and for more reasons than meets the eye. Stress can lead to emotional eating, it can have a direct impact on certain hormones, like cortisol and insulin, and it can mess with your tolerance levels, and/ or your time management skills.

There are so many ways that stress can negatively affect you, your life and your weight loss attempts, so getting a grasp on stress is of utmost importance (even if you aren’t trying to lose weight).

Good news, exercise helps deal with stress. It releases these amazing feel good chemicals in the brain that bring out a sense of ease and euphoria. Not only is exercise a great stress buster, but it is also needed for most people. You don’t have to go heavy (as that can backfire too [https://draxe.com/overtraining/]), you just need to find an exercise routine that you love.

TO DO TODAY: Find an exercise regimen that works for you. Whether it’s walking, running, yoga, tai chi, basketball, etc. Find something that you enjoy doing, or else you’re going to dread going every single time and it’s less likely you’ll keep it up.

Plus, find simple ways to manage your stress. Maybe that means saying no every now and then, finding some calming teas, and going to bed earlier. Finding the culprit for stress isn’t always easy, but if you can pinpoint the cause, it might be easier to tackle head-on.

Weight loss is never simple, individual needs are different, and we all require a different set of rules or guidelines to create a healthy and successful weight loss plan. These tips are a great place to start, and checking in with yourself from time to time is a good way to figure out where you belong with it all, and how you can create a diet plan that works for you.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and let us know if we’re missing anything on this list.

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