Friday, October 10, 2014

5 Tips to Improve your Weightloss Journey - Tip Two: Cut Out Counting Calories

As I look back at my journey now I can see the fundamental points which lead me to my initial weight gain, but then I also saw the small changes I made in my life which made a huge difference on the scales for me. So below I'm going to share with you 5 tips to improve your weightloss journey - and they were all tried and tested by ME - they are probably ones you may have heard before but these are the things that really stood out and worked for me!

I hope these might help you get past your current plateau, begin your own weightloss journey, adapt the journey your on or simply provide a few tips to help you out along the way.

I am going to be releasing tips over the next few days

First Tip: Change your Surroundings - Click Here to read


Tip Two: Cut out Counting Calories

Counting calories can be a long and sometimes depressing side of the fit lifestyle - however it doesn't have to be that bad.

For anyone starting their weightloss journey it is important to understand the nutritional value and calories for food in general - it will also give you an understanding of the work needed to counteract the calories you have consumed. This can actually be quite informative and may surprise you - but that's what were here to do. I found when I viewed the exercise equivalent of the food I was eating it really made me change as I knew I had not done nearly enough exercise if any to cover the bad food choices I had made.

I like to use this site as an all round guide to understand the exercise equivalent to a specific food or item: http://www.athleteinme.com/caloriecounter.aspx

Its is quite helpful as it has a drop down box with the menu's of most fast food joints so you can pick from the menu. I do this as a fun experiment sometimes to show family and friends.

Did you know? That to work off eating only ONE McDonald's cheeseburger you would either need to cycle for 44 mins, jog for 27.9 mins, swim for 38.7 mins or walk for 69.1 mins. That means you would need to walk for more than an hour to work of just ONE cheeseburger.

When I first began my weightloss journey I became obsessed with counting calories and making sure I met my requirement for the day but it became more of a job than a lifestyle change so I stopped counting the calories of every single little thing I ate but became aware of the foods I was eating and the affect it would have on me.

Also by downloading the MyFitnessPal app it took all the hardwork out of counting the calories for me as it completely takes into account everything including exercise, water intake etc. At the beginning you add in your weight, height etc and how much weight you would like to lose - this then sets your daily calorie limit. Once food and exercise is added in the calorie counter on the side will increase and decrease depending on what you ate or the exercise you have added. I found this app really helpful as it charted out my weightloss and gave me a rough indication of how much I could lose each week if I stuck close to my calorie intake for each day. It is also great because you can add friends on MyFitnessPal and see the progress they're making - and lets be honest your more likely to complete your diary for each day if your motivated by others on a similar journey.

I'm not telling you to forget about calories all together and just go for it - but make it less of a job and stop focusing on the calories. At the beginning of your journey it is essential that you understand the calories and have a rough idea of the exercise equivalent as it does help you to make better choices. However as you are progressing through your journey you will find it becomes less about counting the calories and more about the progress you are making.

Plus remember everyone is allowed a treat every now and then but it doesn't mean to make it a treat week, turned treat month, turned treat year - A treat is a one off, every now and then. Maybe to reward yourself for something you have achieved - but all things in moderation.

Hope these tips are helping you all to achieve your goals!

Milly x

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