It’s no secret that the most common New Year’s resolution, year after year, is to lose weight, whether that’s through dieting, exercise, or a combination of both. It’s also one of the toughest ones for people to stick with, especially if they try to make too many drastic changes to their lifestyle at once in an effort to lose weight as quickly as possible.
The problem with losing weight quickly, say the experts, is that it’s not sustainable. You might feel great at the time, but quick weight loss can send your body into a roller coaster of emotions, eventually making you feel like you’re depriving yourself of things you love in the name of weight loss.
There’s no need to cut out every food you like to eat. Instead, healthy, sustainable weight loss is all about making smart changes to your lifestyle that work with your schedule and eating habits. The fewer sacrifices you feel you’re making, the more successful you’ll be at reaching your goals.
Here are three super-important lifestyle changes to make that’ll help you keep your resolution without feeling like you’re overworking or trying too hard.
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Making Healthy Meat Decisions
Meat can really make or break a diet. Lean meats are essential parts of a healthy diet because they contain protein needed to help you build muscle, which, in turn, burns fat. But, overeating the wrong meats will give your body too much unhealthy fat, which, of course, is counter-intuitive to losing weight.
Stick with eating as many lean meats as possible, like chicken breast, tuna, salmon, lean ground beef, and lean steaks, like top sirloin. Of course, portioning is essential; just because it’s lean doesn’t mean you should chow down on a 10-oz steak in one sitting. Shoot for a 3-oz. portion of whatever meat you’re eating so you don’t consume too many calories in one meal.
Portion-Controlling Your Plate
We know it’s common for you to think of the meat in your meal as the star, but it actually should be a supporting part of the cast. Start making over your plates and you’ll notice a huge difference in the waistline.
First, get smaller plates. A large plate will only make you want to fill it up with food.
Next, use vegetables as the star of the show, with healthy carbohydrates (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, etc.) and meat as supporting actors. The more veggies you eat, the more satisfied you’ll feel, and you’ll be loading up on the best stuff for your body.
Having Fun Exercising
Exercise is one of the most challenging things for people to stick with, but it’s necessary for weight loss in combination with good eating habits. The key to making exercise work for you is finding activities that fit seamlessly into your schedule and provide fun ways for you to get fit.
Jogging on a treadmill and doing yoga isn’t for everyone. Try to fit in at least 30 minutes of activity a day, even if that 30 minutes comes from doing five minutes of jumping jacks on your lunch break, ten minutes of walking steps instead of taking an elevator, and 15 minutes of dancing to your favorite songs on the radio before you head to work.
The more you get moving, the closer you’ll get to reaching your goals.
This Year, You’ll Keep It Off!
These are only some tips that can help you lose weight (and keep it off!). The idea is to find what works best for you. You should never feel like losing weight is a constant battle you’re never going to win. Making healthy tweaks to your diet and activity level – and replacing sugary drinks with water – can be enough to get you down a size or two and kick your metabolism into gear.
If you’re struggling with finding quality meats to add to your diet, we invite you to check out our meats to order online from Chicago Steak Company. We sell leaner cuts of steaks, like top sirloin and flat iron, but we also have marinated chicken breasts and pork chops, which are perfect for boosting protein without adding unnecessary fat.
Here’s to the new year!