Lifestyle Changes. This is probably the most important factor when trying to lose weight. Exercise and meals make up a small portion of your day, but lifestyle changes follow you forever. There are a variety of lifestyle changes you can make, both in being more physically active, and in improving your diet.
Increase your activity level. The difference in the calories that you burn when you are sedentary or you are even mildly active is substantial, up to 500 calories a day difference. The key is to increase your activity level. This is different than exercise. Exercise involves raise your heart rate and keeping it elevated for a period of time (aerobic exercise) or lifting weights with the goal of building muscle (weight training). Increasing your activity level simply keeps your metabolism stoked and ready to burn calories. Some ways to increase your activity level are by getting up from your desk or chair every hour and taking a brisk five-minute walk, using the stairs instead of the elevator, and parking at the far end of the parking lot and walking when you are running errands. The key is to intersperse activity throughout your day.
Improve your diet. The quickest way to lose weight is to stop drinking any calories. Milk is not included in this category, although the switch to skim milk would be a smart one. Otherwise, if you are drinking it and it has calories, kick it out of your diet. Soft drinks, flavored coffees and alcohol all pack a substantial punch to your diet without filling you up. Numerous studies have shown that the calories that you drink do not fill you up the same way that calories that you eat do. The high sugar content as well as the large size of these drinks make it possible to consume 1000 calories a day in liquids. Cut these out and the weight will come off. If you have already taken this step, the next step is to become a conscious eater. So many times we eat mindlessly and before you know it we have consumed a handful of cookies, a half a bag of potato chips and the leftovers off of your kid’s plates without even thinking about it. Add to this your “normal” diet, and you can see why the weight does not want to leave.