Alright, my friends, I’m going to get personal here. On Monday, I’m starting a new healthy weight loss challenge with some neighbors for the next month. It’s going to be rough, but I know it will be oh so worth it! I’m in need of some great weight loss tips to help me lose the weight and win the neighborhood challenge. First I’ll tell you the rules of our little competition, you might like some of these ideas too!
Weight Loss Tips without Using a Fad Diet
1. Whole grains only- no white rice, flour or pasta – this one will be hard for me, it’s too easy to make the kids mac n cheese during the week and eat what’s left in the pan for my lunch. Bad bad bad!
2. 5 servings of vegetables and fruits per day – this one won’t be too hard, I love most fruits and vegetables.
3. Nothing to eat after 9 pm. Shouldn’t be too hard, and this will help my late night snacking come to an end real quick!
4. Exercise at least 3 days a week. Shouldn’t be too hard. The treadmill in the basement helps this goal!
5. 1 treat/dessert per week. Love the idea of not going completely cold turkey when it comes to treats! You can do anything for a week, right?
6. 1 cheat meal per week. Again this one should work great for me. I can still have my Friday night dates with the hubby at my favorite restaurant, just as long as I’ve been good the rest of the week!
7. 72 oz. of water each day. Oh dear! This will be an adjustment!! Where’s the bathroom? LOL! You might not want to drink that much, just do what’s right for you, but I’d recommend at least 64 oz.
Rules of Our Neighborhood Competition and More Weight Loss Tips and Pointers
The winner will be based off a point system, if you don’t do any of the things above you subtract 1 point from your starting point of 0, the winner is the person with the least amount of negatives!
That’s about all the rules our competition will have, I’m excited to see what my results will be. However, we can always use a few more tips and pointers so here’s a few more to get us all moving in the right direction…
8. Make some motivation jars where you can keep track of pounds to lose and pounds lost! I might have to try this one!
9. Track your meals with a food journal. I like to track my food eaten. My husband likes to count calories. Do what works for you!
10. Do you ever eat when bored? I think mine is more eating when stressed or tired…. check out this amazing great chart with things to do instead of eating!
11. Make a Motivational Wall. You’ve got to write down your goals to be successful. Love this very visual way to tracking weight loss progress.
12. Get a good night’s sleep. This is a definite must to feeling your best and having the energy to even want to exercise!
13. Use Essential Oils in your weight loss program. Peppermint is a great digestive aid and Lemon helps detoxify your body and boost your metabolism, just to name a few. For more on the essential oils we love go here.
14. Sometimes when you’re in a pinch and need to eat out, it’s good to be informed so you can make the best choices. Here are some great options.
15. Can’t afford a gym membership? Here are some frugal ways to exercise without one!
16. Food prep. You’ve got to have a plan and be prepared if you want to be successful!
17. And if nothing else, just go and read this post. 99 positive observations this blogger has found since losing almost 100 lbs. Can you relate to any of these? This blogger is so inspirational!
Making Better Choices to Get Healthy
Ok, here goes the next month of making better food and exercise choices. Let’s get healthy together! Who’s with me?
Oh yes, and just remember, we are not medical professionals, so please consult your physician before starting any diet or exercise program. Thanks! xoxo
yvonne says
i have no motivation to help get me through and since my husband is deployed, I would love, love, love to surprise him with a skinnier, healthier me. Would love to kick 50-60 pounds out of my life!
Katie says
What a fun surprise that would be! I know its hard at times, but let’s rock this thing together! 🙂
JolieAnne says
Loved your ideas! I think the magazine Real Simple has some good ideas about exercise. I found one that some one put on Facebook and it was great. It is worth a look or go to the realsimple.com web site. Good luck!
Rebecca says
I would love to, and I am doing a lot of this already. But, I have endocrine (mainly adrenal) relapses when I do any cardio, and never lose one pound!! Never. Its horrifically discouraging. I do need to get weights, as our Staffordshire used them as mouth weights and destroyed them.
My biggest issue is the carbs. I cook from scratch, but its impossible to grind enough whole wheat to make everything I need in a week! My grinding attachment just does not keep up with the bits of flour for breads, rouxs, pancakes, thickeners and breads.
Katie @ Runs for Cookies says
Thanks so much for mentioning my blog! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post about the “NSV’s” I discovered while I was losing weight. Sometimes it’s nice to have a reminder of all the things have have changed with the weight loss–the number on the scale is just the beginning! Have a great day!
Kayleigh says
I’m gonna do it… And I’m gonna get everything I need for the jar tracker idea! Just have to keep it out of reach of little hands who LOVE colorful rocks & marbles!
Samantha says
Awesome diet tips! I’d definitely have to try making a motivation wall. That’s something most of us trying to go on diets neglect – sometimes we need motivation to keep going and not just a whole bunch of dieting rules to follow!
Tammy says
Download the Drink Water Reminder app. It has really helped me to remember to drink it. Mine works with my Samsung Gear Fit watch and vibrates to remind me it’s time to drink. Otherwise I sit at my desk involved in working and forget to drink. Also coconut oil is wonderful. It helps with weight loss and metabolism. It’s good for your skin too.
Katie says
Love those ideas! Thank you!