There are hundreds of types of diets and ways to lose weight in the world. But regardless of the choice of the option, the most difficult and responsible stage will be the opening one. The beginning of losing weight is the most important stage that sets the tone for the further process. You need to start a diet as carefully and thoughtfully as possible, especially if you are going to lose weight at home without resorting to the help of specialists. Everything should be planned and taken into account: food system, drinking regimen, physical activity. In this article, we will show you where to start losing weight at home in order to get a guaranteed effect without harm to health and psycho-emotional state.
Step-by-step instruction
The first thing any weight loss begins with is motivation and competent goal setting. These should be specific figures in kilograms or centimeters, and not "remove a little tummy" or "look normal in jeans." Vague formulations very quickly adapt to the desired result when strength and patience run out. If there is no specific problem, after a couple of days you will look in the mirror and decide that “it’s okay as it is”.
Before starting to lose weight, let your family know about your decision. Everyone who lives with you in the same apartment should be aware of your aspiration and support it. If you have not received approval, try to convey your wishes and plans to the family so that they understand how important it is to you.
Support from those closest to you at home is the most important factor in starting to lose weight.
And be sure to keep a diary in which you will describe your feelings and achievements. The first page should contain all the parameters measured in the morning on an empty stomach: weight, chest-waist-hips. Calculate your body mass index. For clarity, take a photo in your underwear or in some kind of clothing that is still very tight on you.
Developing a diet plan
Don't be afraid of this word. Diet is not necessarily Thumbelina's diet (one and a half grains per day). This is a well-thought-out and calculated system of balanced nutrition that allows you to stay in good shape, but at the same time not gain extra pounds, but also shed excess ones.
You have two ways - choose a ready-made and proven diet or make a meal plan yourself, excluding deliberately harmful foods from the diet.
This includes:
- fatty;
- smoked;
- very salty;
- pickled;
- butter;
- roast;
- sweet.
Of course, you do not need to rush to extremes and completely give up, for example, sugar. It is enough to consume it within reasonable limits, but once again do not allow yourself a piece of cake or a roll. And add sweeteners to tea.
If you are not new to losing weight, then based on experience, you will probably be able to draw up your own nutrition plan. If you are going on a diet for the first time, it is better to choose the ready-made option.
In your food diary, make a table where you will write down everything you eat. This will help you track changes in your diet and analyze which foods have the best impact on your results.
Here is an example of such a table (fill it in yourself):
Meal time | Weight before meals, kg | Products | Number of kcal | The amount of water drunk by this time | Physical load | Emotional condition |
Breakfast | ||||||
Second breakfast (snack) | ||||||
Dinner | ||||||
Afternoon snack | ||||||
Dinner | ||||||
Snack before bed (2 hours before) | ||||||
Total for the day |
Here you can download and print the diet plan chart.
Fasting days
Regardless of the type of diet chosen, be sure to arrange fasting days for yourself. And don't put them off until later. The sooner you start adhering to this rule, the easier it will be to lose weight in the future. Include the first fasting day in the first week of weight loss.
Fasting day is not absolute starvation, but only limiting the energy value of the diet to 1000 calories... But it's better to start gradually. Let your first fasting day allow 2000 calories, the next 1500, and only then 1000. Yes, you will have to measure portion sizes with scales and use a calculator. I must say that over time this activity delays, excitement and interest in calorie counting appears.
Advice! So that the fasting days do not reflect too much on the emotional state, it is better to arrange them after the holidays, when a feast with an abundance of food is planned.
The essence of fasting days is that the body, in the absence of nutrition from the outside, breaks down the available fats to replenish energy reserves.
Drinking regime
This is a separate issue for any diet. Whichever meal plan you choose, you must follow the correct drinking regimen. The minimum amount of water drunk per day is 1.5 liters... This indicator is known to everyone who cares about their own health. Vera Brezhneva herself advertises that it is necessary to drink 3 half-liter bottles of mineral water every day.
The question is what kind of liquid it should be, and when to drink it correctly. Someone drinks bottled water, someone - tap or boiled. All of these options are valid. The main thing is that it was clean water: tea, fruit drinks, juices are not included in these 1.5 liters. Drink water before meals and between meals. You don't need to do this immediately after breakfast or lunch. Better to wait half an hour and then pour yourself a glass of fresh water.
We are charged with motivation
Motivation is the main driving force to start losing weight. It goes without saying that having a goal and the approval of your family. But you need other incentives that will help you not to retreat at the beginning of the path, and will also support you during your weight loss. We offer several reasons from which each woman can definitely choose the motivation specifically for herself.
If I am slim, then:
- get rid of health problems;
- I can wear nice clothes;
- stop being shy on the beach;
- I will be more relaxed in bed;
- I will gain confidence in myself;
- I will be proud of myself, because I will achieve the goal.
Repeat your chosen arguments every day like a mantra. Some can even be written in prominent places, especially in the kitchen.
Motivation should never sound demeaning. You cannot say "I am fat". You need to motivate yourself - "I'll lose weight." When there is a goal even in one phrase, it is easier to strive for it.
Visualization is a great way to motivate. Find pictures of you being slim (young or pre-natal). Remember how easy and wonderful it was for you. Hang them up and get inspired every day. If you've always been chubby, order a high-quality Photoshop to visualize how you will look without extra pounds.
However, you cannot start losing weight with shock psychological therapy. If you weigh 120 kg, you do not want to see your photo with 42 clothing sizes. Psychologically obese people perceive thin people as not quite healthy. In addition, it can become a kind of barrier: it seems that losing more than half of the body weight is unrealistic - you should not even start.
With what loads to start losing weight?
You can't do without sports, because losing weight is a complex process. Introduce physical activity gradually. First of all, we recommend that you get yourself a special training diary. We start training with cardio exercises aimed at burning fat. These are low-intensity loads, during which muscle glycogen (fatty layers) breaks down into lactic acid. Oxygen accelerates this process, therefore the essence of aerobic training is full and correct breathing during exercise.
The simplest form of aerobic training is running. Take a short jog on the first day of your diet.... Enough 10 minutes at an easy pace to start the fat burning processes. If you are not starting with a lot of weight, and you have the strength for physical education, additionally do a general warm-up with stretching, jumping, push-ups and other typical loads.
Gradually increase your aerobic workout time. Your program maximum: 30 minutes a day. If this is done regularly, the body will be involved in the process, and fat burning will be more active.
Other types of training:
- swimming;
- rollerblading, scooter, bicycle riding;
- walks 8-10 thousand steps a day;
- dancing.
It doesn't hurt to buy a heart rate monitor with a built-in pedometer. For those who decide to start losing weight, it is important to see the specific numbers of their achievements. We recommend that you enter them in your diary as well. When at least a month has passed, and you get involved in losing weight, you can add strength training (the bar, for example). By pumping up the muscles of the press, hips and chest, you will not only be slim, but also fit.
Advice! It is better for beginners to lose weight in the CrossFit gym. Collective activity is a kind of motivation. And the paid subscription too. You are unlikely to be able to evade training.
No excuses
Losing weight is hard: a person is so built that he will find a lot of reasons not to do it.
Let's analyze the most common excuses:
- I have no time... Calculating calories is a matter of a couple of minutes, and cooking healthy food sometimes takes much less time than a hearty high-calorie dinner. If you want to save time on leisure, exercise at the same time as watching your favorite show or series.
- I will die without sweet! At first, it really seems that without chocolate or rolls you can go crazy. However, correctly counting calories, you will probably get your favorite sweets in your diet.
- I already tried, but it didn't work... It means that you did something wrong. This time, change your tactics, find other approaches.
- I have no money for this... In fact, you can even lose weight for the benefit of your wallet. Save on food, and instead of a gym, go to the sports ground near your home.
- I don't know how to lose weight... There are gigabytes of weight loss information online - thousands of workout videos and tons of diet examples. And even from our article you have already learned the essentials.
If you didn’t know where to start losing weight, we hope that our step-by-step system helped you.
Five steps to a slim figure:
- Set yourself a goal.
- Enlist the support of family members.
- Develop a meal plan and keep a diary.
- Set aside 10-15 minutes a day for aerobic exercise.
- Motivate yourself regularly and avoid excuses.
In losing weight, it's important to start right: when you get involved, the process will go faster and more fun!