21 Healthy Tips to Help You Lose Weight

Losing weight can be as elusive as finding the Holy Grail. To some it can be ever so hard to accomplish. But for others, not an issue.... ever. For me, I feel I have been on a 'weight losing' coaster for the better part of my life.

 photo credit

Before I continue, please understand that my No.1 belief is this... being healthy trumps body size. Period! God uniquely designed each of us and thank goodness He never used cookie cutters when he created man or woman. I have a friend who is the same height as me. And yet, she is generally about 10 pounds lighter than me. We wear the same size clothes too! We can't compare ourselves to others. There's just no explaining our sizes, shapes and weights. Focus on being the healthiest YOU that you can be.

Well, we all know when we need to lose some weight. I knew I did about a year ago when I was winded when climbing a flight of stairs. I didn't feel good in my clothes and bottom line... I KNEW what I was putting in my body was JUNK!

So if you KNOW you need to lose some weight, here are simple and healthy ways to help you in this endeavour - I know there's a lot. You can't do them all. Do what you can, but in the end, just love yourself!!!

1. Eat clean. No processed junk. If it's in a box, made from man, your body will not function right and you will hold on to fat! Plain and simple.

2. Stay hydrated. Not only does water aid in digestion, help flush out toxins from the liver, and tone muscles, it also helps to suppress your appetite and increase metabolism. Experts recommend drinking 68 oz of water a day, for a woman with an inactive lifestyle. {Oh, by the way, my friend who weighs 10 pounds less than me??? She drinks a lot of water!}

4. Reduce avoidable stressors in your life and get more sleep! Your brain releases cortisol a hormone that messes with your metabolism when you are stressed. If you want to lose weight, you must find ways to reduce the controllable stresses in your life. A Kaiser Permanente study, published in the International Journal of Obesity found people with lower stress levels who slept more than six hours, but not more than eight were able to lose at least 10 pounds over six months, compared to a control group.Take walks, practice relaxation or breathing techniques, take more breaks, laugh more and get your sleep!

5. If you are having a hard time losing weight, fish oil supplements should become one of your best friends. They are known for being fat burning by nature. Studies have shown that fish oil supplements coupled with a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise can help you lose weight permanently.

5. Green tea helps speed up your metabolism and also helps to burn fat. Drink 3-5 cups daily or supplement orally.

6. Detox... our liver takes a beating and can become sluggish with toxins from food and polluted air. Are you treating it well and cleaning it out regularly? Some simple ways that you can daily care for your liver are any of the following: dry brushing, lemon-infused water upon rising, juicing (replace a few meals a week), sauna therapy (sweating it out), rebounding, cleansing herbs such as  dandelion, licorice, milk thistle, bilberry, chicory root, burdock and astragalus.

7. Reduce your fat intake... particularly those that originate from animals... dairy and meats.

8. You may be deficient in Vitamin D. Dr. John Cannell, M.D., from the Vitamin D Council wrote recently that vitamin D does appear to provide causative weight loss benefits, if not simply by increasing heart health and providing the body with more energy to get up off the couch and be active. He recommends taking 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily for average-weight adults weighing between 125-200 pounds

9. Track your calories. It is amazing what a little bite here and there can add up to.If you have a calorie deficit, you're going to lose weight, if you consume extra calories, you'll gain it. I am thoroughly enjoying keeping my calories in check thanks to My Fitness Pal app.

10. I have learned that just 20 minutes of exercise is effective in reducing your weight. But what will make your weight loss even more effective... weight training. According to Natural News, strength training will greatly increase the speed of your weight loss effort. It will also double the effectiveness of any weight loss program you're on. So grab some weights and get busy.

12. Increase your fiber intake. If you are not having regular BM's, your gut is not getting properly cleaned out. If you have a dirty colon, weight loss will be inhibited. There are several foods that give adequate amounts of fiber ~ check them out here.

13. Consider having at least one meatless meal a week.

14. Don't skip breakfast. According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a healthy breakfast is important in maintaining an ideal body weight. People who skip breakfast to save calories often overeat later in the day, or snack on foods that are high in fat and sugar. Plus, breakfast gives your metabolism a boost.(via Active.com)

15. Avoid white carbs... you know, cookies, cakes, crackers... anything that is not made with 100% whole grains. Overeating white, refined carbs will cause insulin imbalances. Your body has to produce increasing amounts of insulin to break down sugars. Eventually you become resistant to the insulin, and instead converting excess glucose into glycogen, it turns into fat.

16. Munch on these foods that rev up your metabolism... pumpkin seeds, avocados and almonds (keep serving sizes in check though!).

17. Evaluate if you have a food intolerance (sensitivities). You may have a food intolerance and not really know it. Side effects can mimic those to irritable bowel like skin eruptions, Crohn's disease or inflammation of the GI tract, ear problems, lethargy, nasal congestion, arthritis symptoms and allergies. Common foods that people can be sensitive to are wheat, dairy, sugar and corn. A key element in figuring out what food to eliminate first is, ask which food you eat very often and a food you have high cravings for. Read more about an elimination diet here.

18. Stop eating 3 hours before you go to sleep.

19. Incorporate healthy fats like avocados, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, fish and nuts. Don't avoid these foods. These fats fire up your metabolism so that you can lose weight.

20. Keep up with supplements. All overweight people are deficient in major nutrients. Here is a list of ones to consider (please research these on your own to see which ones you may need): B vitamins, l-tyrosine, CoQ10, digestive enzymes, flax oil, kelp, lecithin, ginseng.

21. Stop drinking diet soda... please! According to Sharon Fowler, MPH, "Diet soda is not a health food. In fact, it's not a food at all, it's simply a slurry of chemicals, a number of which may have deleterious effects on the body." Most recently diet sodas have been tied to increased risk of stroke and heart attack, and while many people drink them as an aid to weight reduction, research suggests if you drink diet soda, weight gain may be the result instead. (via Natural News)

So these are just my takes on weight loss... what are proven ways that work for you???