Here are 5 easy ways to lose weight without that much effort! This helped me to lose 7 pounds since April (that’s just over a pound a month). These are fairly simple lifestyle changes for a “beginner” like myself so they are completely attainable + realistic.
1. Cut out your favourite fast food chain – Coming from the Queen of Fast Food, it seemed difficult – no, impossible to completely give up fast food. I live downtown in the heart of the city so it is around me at all times. It never really works when you think of your goals in your head like “I’ll try to not each fast food as much“. What does that even mean? There is nothing specific about that goal and leaves a lot of room for error and justification (okay, just oneee more pizza slice…etc). And I’m pretty good at convincing myself to make bad decisions so trust me on this one.
Think of your favourite place to eat fast food and one that you frequent more than you’re willing to admit. I know, it’s delicious! And you can’t possibly think of living without it. But right now, boycott you’re favourite place for a set amount of time. I boycotted Mcdonalds (juniour chickens are my weakness) this July until 2015. It’s hard at the beginning but then your brain starts eliminating that food when you’re hungry because it’s simply not an “option” anymore. After 2-3 weeks you won’t even miss it.
2. Make your lunch – I don’t think I’ve made my lunch since grade 4 until this summer. Dead serious. And even then I think I was half-assing it by throwing in a Jos Louis and goldfish crackers, calling it a day, and then making someone trade snacks with me. I got a cute lunch bag, I made myself buy snacks at the grocery store, and I just jumped into it this summer. Now it’s become habit that every morning I pack my lunch and water bottle. Finally, after all these years. I have bought my lunch every single day for as long as I can remember and I have spent an insane amount of money doing this. I’ve basically been spending money to gain weight. This step alone can save you tons of money in the long run.
3. Water – Step away from the carbonated beverage. As a recovering coke-zero addict, I know how delicious pop and other drinks can be. I encourage you to make your drink of choice water. At home, at dinner, and at restaurants. Not only does getting water with your meal save you money but it also is a lot healthier and saves you those empty calories. It takes some getting used to, but then once again, it becomes habit.
4. Keep a food journal – I’ve been doing this on and off for a few years. Whether you decide to make it private or public jot down what you eat throughout the day. This really helps you to become more aware of what you’re eating and notice any patterns in your eating habits that you might want to change. It also helps you because you might feel a guilty if you have to write down “ate entire bag of chocolate chips as a “snack”. If you want to use a great app use Lose It or get a tiny little notebook from Chapters to bring with you during the day.
5. Make it a personal challenge – Set your goals in absolutes. Words like “try”, “might”, and “maybe” shouldn’t be in your vocabulary because let’s face it…they often win. Have a set date you want to accomplish something by. Try making your lunch for a full month or logging your food every single day for 60 days. They’ll become habits anyways – what’s your goal going to be this month?
A Lazy Girl's Fitness Journey 