8 Ways To Create Balance To Achieve Lasting Weight Loss ( Part 2)

6. Exercise regularly

I know, this isn’t anything you haven’t heard before but it is a crucial part of weight management. It is important to engage in regular aerobic and weight bearing activity.

The aerobic exercise helps you to burn the fat and weight bearing activity increases your metabolic rate. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat.

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By adding three to five pounds of muscle you could actually burn 100 - 250 additional calories a day.

This combination of aerobic and weight bearing activity is what really kicks weight loss into gear.

7. Limit sugar

Sugar becomes a major issue for many people wanting to lose weight. 

Not only does it add calories, it also causes insulin spikes leading you to store more calories as fat, it stimulates your appetite, and is a major food trigger for emotional eaters.

 However, it doesn’t mean you need to go all or nothing. When people try to omit all sugar from their diet they can become obsessed about sugary foods and end up in a binge.

Find the right balance for sugar. Avoid daily use of sugar and instead have some guiltless treats once in awhile.

A little cake at a birthday party or some ice-cream with friends is a good way to incorporate sugar once in awhile to avoid the negative outcomes.

8. Pamper yourself regularly

Who wants to argue with that?! The reality is many people eat for emotional reasons. Food makes us feel good on many levels.

The problem occurs when eating becomes the only coping mechanism your subconscious knows of.

This is why that pesky urge to emotionally eat is so strong. It is hard to reason your way out of it. For many people food is the only thing they know that makes them feel better.

When you start to do other things that make you feel good on a regular basis such as taking a hot bath, going for a walk, having a hot cup of tea; then your subconscious starts to register these activities as coping mechanisms as well.

Over time this will decrease the constant urge to use food. You can’t expect to have a bad day, go take a bath and not have an urge to eat.

It is something you need to do regularly and something you truly enjoy so your subconscious starts to recognize it as a new choice.