Once you have made these lifestyle changes, it is time to hop on the scale or pull on the jeans and see how you are doing. If you still have some weight that you would like to lose, it may be time to adjust your exercise and diet program. Stick with your lifestyle changes and then:
Consider adding an additional workout or two a week. If you normally do aerobic activities three days a week, go for four, and add a weight workout. If your already working out six days a week, add a second workout one day.
Up the intensity. Chances are, if you have been exercising for a while, you have fallen into a bit of a fitness rut. For the next few weeks commit to pushing yourself in your workouts. Run the hill you have been walking, pump out that extra rep in the weight room, push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
Change up your exercise routine. Always jog? Try bicycling. If you normally walk, try an exercise video. You do not have to quit doing your favorite workouts, but switch them out occasionally, and you will be surprised at the energy that you burn.
Weigh and measure your food. Many of us start a diet with the best of intentions, but once we have some success we slack off. Quit eyeballing portions and start weighing and measuring again, just to make sure that your serving sizes are not growing.
Write down everything you eat. This is the only accurate way to know exactly what is going into your mouth. Before you eat it write it down, enter it on the computer, however you want to log it is fine, but you must account for every morsel.
Cut back on the starchy carbs. No one is saying that you have to low carb it, but if you have your choice between an extra serving of mashed potatoes and a green salad, the salad is going to be the better bet. Likewise, french fries, macaroni and cheese and pasta. There is nothing inherently bad about these foods, but compared with an equal amount of salad or green vegetables, and you can guess which would be the smarter choice.