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How to Get Started with A Healthier Diet- For Weightloss

Dieting can seem like an impossible task, and there are so many different diets out there that you may feel confused and lost when trying to figure out how to begin. It can be totally overwhelming. However, you shouldn't think of it as a diet or as depriving your body. Think of it as making healthy changes that will benefit you and benefit your body. When you eat better you feel better, and eventually you'll look better too. The word diet can be very negative and stressful. You will start to see the best results when you stopped trying to diet and started making healthy choices and really committing to eating clean and natural. Instead of thinking of yourself as being on a diet think of yourself as having a healthy diet. If you want lasting results that you can maintain it will require a lifestyle change. It's not about depriving yourself of food, it's all about nourishing yourself with food that is good for you.

Here are 10 extremely helpful tips for changing your eating habits and for losing weight that will have you see real results but also have you feeling wonderful :

• Take it day by day. Don't dwell on eating mistakes you made the day before like eating half a pizza after having a little too much wine. it's in the past and there's nothing you can do to change it now. Don't think ahead at how far you have to go before reaching your ideal weight, instead only focus only on that day. Try to make the most out of each day and be the healthiest you can be. If you take it day by day, eventually you will have had many successfully healthy days in a row, and you'll get on the scale and be very pleasantly surprised by your weight loss. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is telling yourself you'll start tomorrow. You probably won't.
• A great thing to do when you are first starting out is to keep track of what you eat. An app that I find really helpfully and easy to do this with is called My Fitness Pal. It was created by Under Armor. When you are mentally reviewing what you ate you may be less likely to slip up or cheat. It is also super helpful because the app does all of the calculations to inform you how much protein you need, how much fat, and how many carbs along with tracking your nutrients and making sure you aren't having too much of anything like sugar. This is all extremely helpful to keep track of and to be informed about. When you use the app you just enter your current weight and your goal weight along with how much exercise you do, it will then calculate how many calories you can eat in a day to reach your goal. During the day you log everything you eat, and it will tell you how many calories you have eaten and how many you have left to eat. & the app is also completely free!
• Cut out processed foods. This is huge! Our bodies were not meant to process all of the chemicals, GMOs, and additives in processed and packaged foods. Other than all of the digestive issues such as bloating that are caused by these, they also cause weight gain because your body stores these chemicals and additives as fat. So if you are looking to loose weight and begin eating healthier a great place to start is removing anything processed. Instead opt for natural, whole foods. The less ingredients the better. If you cant pronounce an ingredient in something you are eating you probably shouldn't be eating it.
• Also you're allowed to cheat. You don't have to give up having brownies for the rest of your life. But you need to remember moderation and self control. If you cheat and have a big dessert one day, it's okay. You don’t need to deprive yourself, just make sure not to cheat on a daily basis or you will sabotage all of your hard work. Try to keep the cheating to one day a week.
• Find healthy foods that you enjoy eating that can be your go to when you're really hungry and keep your kitchen stocked with them. If you have things you actually enjoy eating you will be less likely to cheat when you are having a craving. Apples with natural organic almond butter are a delicious and nutritious snack to keep around. The almond butter will fill you up (and is really good for you- Almonds have so many health benefits) and the sugar in the apple will satisfy sweet cravings.
• Now this tip is very very important. DO NOT starve yourself. If you really wanted to loose weight quickly it can be easy to fall into the trap of unhealthy eating habits. This is not an effective method for weightless if you want to look toned and healthy and it is not something that can be maintained overtime. You don’t need to starve yourself to be skinny. It is much more effective to eat many small meals multiple times a day and make sure those meals are going to nourish you and are healthy & nutritious options. Once you start eating clean you can actually eat a lot more, and you will feel better.
• A given (that you've probably heard a million times) for when you are trying to improve your health and lower your weight that is actually extremely important is to drink pleantttty of water every day. Also add lemon to your water daily (preferably first thing in the morning). It has so many benefits for your health such as minimizing bloat, speeding up your metabolism, and detoxification.
• Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep is so important, so try to make it a priority. Most adults do not get enough sleep each night. Poor sleep can actually cause weight gain & can increase your appetite. Also when you feel well rested you are more likely to get a better workout. It can be really hard to find the time to get enough sleep, but it is extremely important and really does make a difference in your overall health an in weight loss. About an hour before bed put the electronics away and start to relax. If you have trouble relaxing, make a caffeine free tea nightime like organic chamomile.
• Keep the alcohol drinking to a minimum. It is obviously full of calories, but it also dehydrates your body and takes you about three days to fully recover so it interferes with your workouts, and it causes food cravings so you are more likely to cheat. If you are out and want to drink (because it is okay to cheat occasionally) the best choice is Tito's vodka with seltzer water and Lemon (gluten free) or a red wine which has antioxidants. If you can find an organic Red Wine, even better!
• Also it is important to note that you should be incorporating exercise each week, about 4-5 days a week. Eating healthy is soso important and essential to losing weight, however it is also essential to be incorporating exercise. Besides losing weight exercise is also important for your confidence, mental health, stress levels, your energy, your sleep, and your overall happiness and well being. This doesn't mean you need to be spending hours at the gym. If you work long hours, are a stay at home mom with little time to her self, in school, etc. you can still incorporate exercise at home.

Dedication and hard work every day along with healthy choices really makes the difference. Once you start to eat clean you will notice yourself feeling better and you will actually start to crave healthy food instead of junk food. Changing your eating habits can make the difference between getting ready and trying on ten different outfits and feeling bad about yourself in all of them OR trying on one or two of your favorite outfits and feeling great about your self when you leave your house. When you're healthier you're happier. It's going to be hard work and you're going to have to have some mental endurance and self control, but in the end it is TOTALLY worth it.