How to Lose Weight for Your 2012 New Years Resolution
Every year, millions of Americans decide to lose weight for their New Years resolution. But how many actually succeed at reaching their ideal weight goals? And why do so many struggle to lose weight but just can’t seem to keep it off?
These are questions I’ve been asking my self and clients for years, seeking to find a better way to lose weight naturally that people will actually follow through with. Too many Americans are stuck on the yo-yo dieting trend where they lose weight, and then gain it back plus some extra.
Here are our top tips for 2012 on how to lose weight and keep it off for your New Years Resolution.
2012 Weight Loss Tips
Follow the Pareto Principle 80/20 Rule
Vilfredo Pareto is most commonly known by economists. He discovered the Pareto Principle, now called the 80/20 rule more commonly. Pareto found that 80% of the land in his native Italy in the 1800?s was owned by 20% of the people.Later, his 80/20 principle was attributed to other areas of life…
About 80% of waste comes from 20% of people.
About 20% of the people earn 80% of the income in the world.
About 20% of people lose weight and keep it off while the other 80% struggle.
About 20% of a business’s customers will provide 80% of the profit.
What does the 80/20 rule have to do with weight loss?
Everything!
You see, most people who go on a weight loss program make one of two mistakes – Either they choose a diet that is simply unsustainable from a nutritional point of view (like eating only apples every day for weeks) or they choose a diet that will never result in long-term sustained weight loss (like eating lots of processed foods and sugary carbohydrates while limiting fat and protein intake, a diet sure to increase weight over time).
So what’s the key to a sustainable weight loss diet?
Follow the 80/20 rule!
Weight Loss Tip 1: At least 80% of your food should be nourishing foods that will help you lose weight:
Fruits, vegetables, berries, leafy greens, salads, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds with some whole grains.
Weight Loss Tip 2: Only 20% of your food or less should be foods that can cause you to gain weight:
Processed foods, meats, dairy, processed grains, white flour, white bread, etc.
Weight Loss Tip 3: At least 80% of your food should be unprocessed, unpackaged foods.
Unprocessed, unpackaged foods are much healthier for you. When you process foods, either by subjecting them to high heat, chemical processes, or heavy manufacturing processes, you damage the nutrients of the food and your body has trouble recognizing and digesting it as well as it does raw, unprocessed foods.
Weight Loss Tip 4: Less than 20% of your food should be processed, packaged foods.
This means you’re going to have to limit the amount of cookies, candies, pastries, white flour, white sugar, white breads and pastas, and junk foods that you eat.
Weight Loss Tip 5: About 20% of your food intake should be from snacking, 80% from meals.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when dieting is to skip meals or try to eat all their food in 3 meals. This is a huge mistake! You need to eat more frequently to help your body balance its blood sugar and glucose levels. This is espeically important for people who want to lose weight.
The key is to eat more frequently in smaller meals and snack throughout the day on healthy foods like celery sticks, carrot, apples, oranges, greens, and other raw fruits, vegetables and berries. Usually 5 meals a day works best for most people, but if you can’t eat meals that often because of your schedule, pack “mini-meals” for work, like celery and almond butter for a mid-day snack, along with your normal lunch fare.
By breaking up your day into smaller, healthier mini-meals, you can maintain a healthy balance in your blood sugar and metabolism and help your body burn fat and lose weight faster.
What would your diet look like according to the 80/20 rule?
Breakfast: Apple banana spiced oats
Mini-Meal: Celery and almond butter
Lunch: Big leafy greens salad with carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and other veggies thrown in.
Mini-Meal: Finish the rest of the salad or pack another mini-meal.
Dinner: Broccoli and Cauliflower veggie stir fry. Have some dessert as well to celebrate – you ate at least 80% h
ealthy foods for the day that will help you lose weight!
Why does the 80/20 rule work so well for a weight loss diet?
Following the 80/20 rule works so well for losing weight because it focuses on some basic principles of human behavior and nutrition:
1. You won’t maintain a diet you hate!
People simply don’t do things that bring them instantaneous pain over a long period of time. If you find it painful t
o maintain your diet, chances are you’ll quit! With the 80/20 rule, you’ll be enjoying your meals much more because you know you can splurge 20% of the time while maintaining a healthy, nourishing diet 80% of the time.
2. You don’t need to be perfect to lose weight!
You don’t need to eat a “perfect diet” to lose weight. There is no perfect diet! All you have to do to lose weight is focus 80% of the time on eating the right foods, and let yourself enjoy the other 20%.
Most people find that when they eat this way, their taste start to change over time and that 20% of sugary, junk foods turns into much healthier fare over time. But to jump 100% all-in on a totally new diet right away often causes people to quit early when the going gets tough.
3. Small dietary changes over time create huge weight loss!
Just small dietary changes over 6 month, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years can cause massive differences in weight. If you can just eat a little better today, tomorrow, and every day after that.. it will make all the difference in the world.
I guarantee it didn’t take you 14 days to gain all that extra weight – and I can guarantee you can’t get rid of it all and keep it off with just 14 days of a fad diet. It takes consistent discipline and a long-term, sustainable diet to create sustainable, healthy weight loss.
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Category: Articles, Diet, Weight Loss
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