How to Lose Weight (Without Giving Up All Those Tasty Treats) in 2022
Are you trying to lose weight but can’t give up your favorite tasty treats?
Losing weight is hard, especially when you love sweets!
But is ALL sugar bad? Absolutely not! Not all sugar is bad.
If you don’t know yet, natural sugars provide more nutritional benefits for your health than added sugars.
So, the inevitable way of gaining weight is by overindulging in foods and drinks that contain too much added sugar.
The solution isn’t banning your favorite treats, but limiting and taking measurable actions that will achieve your goal of losing weight.
The key is realizing self-love and ensuring you’re consistent with your goals.
Through personal experience, I have compiled a list of 14 tips that will help you lose weight without giving up all those tasty treats!
Read Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a physician nor certified in health coaching or nutrition. In this case, my tips should not be taken as medical advice.
1. Learn to love yourself!
To love yourself is the initial realization step before pursuing any further. A crucial step to begin with, because commitment to goals is hard when you don’t realize self-love. Loving yourself also entails feeling good about yourself without striving to be in a specific body type and comparing yourself to others is a no-no!
Loving yourself benefits you by focusing on your needs and motivates you to make better choices for your health.
2. Set realistic goals.
Let’s be honest! You can’t lose all your weight in one day. If you’re aiming for long-term weight loss, make actual goals that you’ll achieve. Taking one step at a time is how you succeed.
For instance, if you’re currently overweight, make a goal to lose 1 pound per month. Depending on your efforts, you can always raise or reduce your goal.
3. Don’t ban, just limit!
Eat your favorite treats in moderation throughout the week. This helps you control the amount of sugar intake rather than overindulging.
Assuming Oreos or McDonald’s cookies are your favorites, don’t eat all 12 cookies in one day. Limit it to one cookie per day.
4. Use smaller dishes.
Who doesn’t love cakes and pies? If you’re hosting your birthday party or have been invited to one, remember to use a small plate. Stick to your goal and avoid peer pressure.
Using a small plate tricks your mind into thinking you are getting a smaller piece of cake or pie instead of a bigger one. The same applies to food in general. Hence, you’ll end up consuming fewer sweets.
5. Don’t skip meals.
Don’t skip breakfast or lunch even though life is crazy for you. Consistency in your meals throughout the day copes with excessive hunger and appetite.
If you do skip, you’ll end up snacking more and craving unhealthy treats that contribute to your weight gain.
6. Avoid electronic distractions.
A common problem most people have nowadays is eating while watching a video or surfing on social media. Focus on eating before going on your laptop or phone.
According to Harvard, “Distracted eating may add to weight gain.” It slows down eating and prompts you to eat more, leading to excessive consumption, which contributes to your body fat.
7. Drink more water, not sugary drinks.
Don’t replace your thirst with sugary drinks. A rule of thumb is to drink 8 cups of water (8 oz. size) per day. Drink no more than 8 cups per day because drinking more can lead to health problems.
To reduce hunger, drink water for half an hour before a meal. Drinking water also improves digestion. So, keep hydrating your body and feeling the change.
8. Embrace the power of fruits and vegetables.
Even if you’re a sweet tooth person, you can trick your mind into replacing your favorite treat with a fruit or veggie you like.
Evidence shows that fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fruits and vegetables are also low in calories and fat. All are significant for weight loss.
9. Split a treat with a friend.
Instead of indulging in a large treat, you can split it in half with a friend or save the other half for the next day.
Portioning the amount of sugar intake sustains weight loss.
8. Exercise regularly.
Your goal is to lose weight within 6 months and exercise is a way to go! Exercise helps you burn calories, makes you feel good and keeps your body healthy. When you exercise, your body uses energy (calories) to keep your muscles moving. The more intense the exercise, the more calories you burn. Do both aerobic and anaerobic exercises.
Aerobic exercises like walking, running, Zumba, etc., uses up oxygen quickly. These activities raise your heart rate for at least 10 minutes and make your breathing heavier. To lose weight with exercise, do an aerobic activity that gets your heart pumping!
Anaerobic or strength training exercises like yoga, weight lifting, etc., builds muscle mass and increases lean body mass — that means more fat burning even when you’re not exercising! Strength training doesn’t have to be done at the gym; many exercises can be done at home with dumbbells or resistance bands.
9. Walk the stairs, not the elevator.
This is a useful tip, especially if you work or live in a multi-story building.Walking the stairs daily instead of the elevator helps you burn excess body fat.
Keep in mind that losing weight does not happen overnight. Give it a try!
10. Plan your meals.
To keep off weight, you have to be consistent. It’s all about planning your meals and snacks. Ditch the fast-food drive and cook your food at home because it is healthier. Shop for healthier snacks instead of junk.
Don’t overdo it with sweets. You can have one sweet treat per day as long as it fits into your meal plan. Too many sweets can sabotage your weight loss effort because they boost cravings.
11. Learn to love dark chocolate.
Not a fan of dark chocolate? It’s time for a change and learn to love dark chocolate. Eat dark chocolate instead of sugary treats because it is a much healthier choice to lose weight.
Studies have shown dark chocolate is packed with a variety of nutrients that positively affect your health, including weight loss.
12. Eat healthy fats.
Eating organic or farm-to-table foods is good for weight loss. It enhances your digestive system and burns fat more quickly and easily. On the other hand, processed or manufactured food is just plain food and is not good for you. Even worse, if you don’t stay active, processed or manufactured foods take time to burn fat, so excessive fat is stored in your body.
Example: Chewy Bar vs. Apple
Eating both foods would provide the same satisfaction of feeling full. However, looking closer at the nutritional facts, with one chewy bar you gain an intake of three. 5 g of total fat and one. 5 g of saturated fat. Imagine if you were to eat 64 bars. You would gain a total of 1 1/2 pounds of fat. An apple now contains only 0. 3 g total fat and 0. 1 g saturated fat.
Fun fact, it would take you to eat 850 apples to even gain one and a half pounds of fat. That’s a lot of apples!
13. Reward yourself.
Rewarding yourself doesn’t mean going big when celebrating a special day or event. Instead, do a fun activity and feel gratitude for your journey. Great activities to reward yourself with include swimming, playing volleyball, or walking a short trail.
This is my personal tip; reward yourself with a $5.00 allowance. The smaller the amount, the less expensive the treat you’ll buy.
14. Get a good night’s sleep.
A potential weight loss method is getting a good night’s sleep. A lack of sleep can sabotage your efforts to lose weight because it increases hunger and appetite. Also, it doesn’t motivate you to do physical activity.
Go to bed earlier and rise early in the morning.
It’s clearly your choice! Remember, self-love and consistency are the keys to your weight loss. Eliminating your tasty treats is not the solution, but limiting the amount consumed is and not all sugars are harmful to your health.
Start now by setting your actual goals and sticking to the strategy that is best for you to lose weight. Follow these tips and you’ll be happier.
