Has your weight-loss plan flat lined? Have you really been doing all that you need to do for success?
You've tried cutting portion sizes, calories, desserts and wine. You've even amped it up at the gym, but now you're stuck. It's so tempting to give up, turn back to square one, and choose a new plan. The best advice is to just stick with it.
The trick to restarting your engine is to tweak your current plan. Keep in mind that every pound you lose, your metabolism can slow by 20 calories a day, therefore, change is necessary.
More: 4 Nutrition Tips to Maintain a Healthy and Active Life
Do You Really Understand Portion Size?
Are you choosing satisfied over stuffed? The size of what you put on your plate obviously effects how many calories you're taking in. Even healthy foods can pack on the pounds.
Many Americans underestimate how much they're eating, especially when dining out. Always plate your food. Eating out of a box or bag gives you no sense of what or how you are eating. Use measuring cups or spoons to plate entrees. This will ensure that you can visually see how much you will be taking in.
The average woman getting moderate daily exercise should be consuming approximately 3 to 4 ounces of lean protein per meal, 1/2 to 1 cup of whole grains per meal and 1 to 2 cups of brightly colored fruits and vegetables per meal.
More: 10 Common Pre-Packaged Meals to Avoid
Keep a Daily Journal
The key isn't just what you eat, it's what you write. Many people truly have no idea how much food they take in on a daily basis. Thanks to the Type A personality, people barely register nourishment because of successful multitasking, eating on the run, or mindlessly eating in front of the TV.
Researchers at Louisiana State University asked dietitians to estimate their daily caloric intake, results found that even professionals low balled their intake by 10 percent. Many studies show that journaling doesn't just stimulate weight loss, it intensifies it.
Researchers followed a group of dieters who were encouraged to keep daily records. The results showed that journaling was the single best predictor of whether a participant would drop weight. Journaling trumped exercise, age and body mass index. The number of pounds people lost was directly related to the number of days they wrote in their log.
