No one (but my Dr.) would ever believe me but a few years ago I hit 200lbs. When I decided to start to my health and fitness journey, I knew I had to change my thoughts and habits before I could change my body. These are the 5 main tips that I used when I started my weight loss journey two years ago.
1. Drink Water Your body is composed of about 60% water. Besides keeping you hydrated, it helps flush your kidneys, energize your muscles and keep your skin looking good. I’m now up to 1 gallon a day 🙂
2. Eat 5-6 Meals Per Day By eating 5-6 meals per day you can speed up your metabolism without storing fat, reduce food cravings and control/maintain blood sugar levels & insulin production.
3. Get An Accountability Partner There is nothing like motivation and support. Having a workout buddy is great. Being part of a accountability group is even better. Harmony, Ellen and I had our own 3-person challenge group and checked in EVERYDAY! To this day we always say we had the most success when we had the challenge group and checked in with each other. Check out my blog post on The Buddy System.
4. Workout at least 5 times a week, with a mix of cardio and resistance training. Muscle burns fat! Ideally you would be doing these exercises on different days. But if you have to do both exercises on one day, try to do one in the morning and one in the evening.
5. Incorporate a Meal Replacement/Protein Shake into your daily routine. Protein is one of the body’s main building blocks for muscle, bone, skin, and other tissues. Used post-workout, protein shakes provide an adequate amount of protein our muscles need to heal and repair themselves quickly. When used as a meal replacement, you are able to control your fat and calorie intake, which is a crucial key to weight management.
What really helped were my accountability partners (Ellen and Harmony – who I met ONLINE) and my protein shake. Be consistent. Don’t quit. It’s really mind over matter.
What steps are you implementing to lose those last few pounds?
-Zakia
