Weight Loss Made Easy

The more stressed you are the more weight your body is likely going to want to keep. I don’t know why, it just does. If you want to lose weight you’re going to need to do a little more than just watch what you eat and get more exercise, you’re going to have to learn to calm down and relax.

Easier said than done. Don’t tell me about it, I work full time and have 3 boys, one with autism. I run them to their activities and make sure the house stays in a constant state of not quite clean. Relaxing doesn’t come easy to me either.

I’m going to give you some of my tips for taking a much needed time out. I’m also going to give you some other people’s ideas of relaxing amongst the chaos.

1. Stop! Right now I want you to stop everything and go to a safe place. Your bedroom, with the door shut might be a good place to start. Then do something you want to do. Read a book, watch TV, look at the clouds. Do this for at least 10 minutes, then come back.

*Now that you’re back I’m going to give you some other ideas.

2. Take a deep breath through your nose very slowly. Hold it for 5 seconds. Then slowly but forcefully blow out through pursed lips for about 3 seconds. Do this 3 times.

3. Meditate. Turn off the lights, get comfortable and just do nothing.

4. Do something relaxing that doesn’t require much thinking. Go for a bike ride, knit, listen to the radio, it just needs to be something you like.

5. Get a massage. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done to relax.

Do you eat when you’re sad or when you’re really happy? How about when you’re bored? This is my favorite, eating when  you’re depressed about being overweight. Most overweight people have one or more of these problems.

What you need to do is think before you eat. If it’s not mealtime, or if you’ve already had your meal, then you shouldn’t be eating. If you think you’re hungry and it’s not mealtime, think about why you thing you’re hungry. Decide if you’re really hungry, of if you’re just bored.

If you really think hard before you eat, you may  just realize that you’re not really hungry at all. If it’s only an hour until lunch, you can wait that long.

Sex is more enjoyable when you feel sexy. After you lose a mere 13% of your weight you’ll start feeling sexier and sex will start to become more enjoyable. Remember, you deserve to feel sexy no matter what your weight.

If you lose more than 40 pounds you may have trouble with lubrication. This is because of the loss of estrogen in your system. Don’t worry, it’s not permanent. After about three to six months your estrogen levels will level out and you’ll be back to normal. In the meantime, use a store bought lubricant.

Don’t worry about how you look to your partner. If you’re concerned, turn out the light. Men are more interested in the physical act then how you look once the clothes come off.

After you lose weight your life will change. I’m going to tell you this right now so you won’t be surprised and you’ll be ready to face the world in your new body.

Comments, looks and flirting will all become a part of your daily life. You’re going to have to endure comments and looks from other people. When you’re heavy people try not to look at your or make comments that you can hear. When you’re thin they do. Some are good, some are bad.

Good ones are when your friends come up to you and mention how good you look, “Have you lost weight”. It’s nice to hear this after you’ve worked so hard to get where you are. On the other hand you’ll have to learn to handle men that stare and try to talk to you.

This is especially hard if you’ve never had this happen to you before and are caught off guard. Be prepared. You may feel overwhelmed. Think about how you’re going to handle people when this happens to you.

Do you eat when you’re sad, mad, happy? Sometimes when you’re feeling an extreme emotion, it makes you want to eat. It’s what you do with that emotion that makes a difference in your weight. If you go and start stuffing your face with all the high fat foods you can find then you’re going to gain weight. Here are some other options to help you keep your weight under control, even under the most stressful situations.

Try stuffing your face with fruits and veggies. Grab a bag of baby carrots or cut up a tomato or a pepper and eat that instead. You’ll still get lots of flavor and some crispness without all the fat.

Find something else to do besides eat. If you just received some news, call someone and talk to them about it. Read a book or engage in a hobby that will keep your hands busy. Go for a walk or bike ride. Do something that will keep your hands busy or keep you away from the kitchen.