Tips for Women to Achieve Lasting Weight Loss

Many different factors influence how we lose weight, and it’s a different path for everyone. For women, it’s important to work with your specific needs and physiology (which are different from those of men) when creating a plan. Making a few sustainable changes to your lifestyle can promote your overall health and create lasting weight-loss results. If you’re wondering how to get started, the following tips will have you on your way.

Practice mindful eating.

No matter what your current eating habits are, you can benefit from practicing mindful eating. It promotes healthier food choices and can help with weight-loss efforts. By eating more slowly and becoming more aware of how your food looks, tastes, and smells, you’ll enhance feelings of satisfaction after each meal. Studies show that mindful eating can lead to reductions in calorie intake. That isn’t to say that restricting calories is a healthy weight-loss strategy, but mindful eating can help curb stress eating and mindless snacking.

If you’ve never practiced mindful eating and aren’t sure how to start, consider finding an online course or a community-based class in your area. There are also mobile apps to help guide you. Be sure that the app you choose explains the principles of mindful eating, discusses the basics of a balanced diet, and teaches you to access your internal hunger and fullness cues.

Also be sure you always have healthy snacks on hand, even when you’re on the go. That way, you’re less likely to reach for convenient but unhealthy processed food, like chips or cookies.

Hit the weights.

Resistance training is especially important for women because we tend to have a harder time building and maintaining muscle mass than men. If you’re worried about bulking up from lifting weights, try to lay that assumption aside — it isn’t true, for several reasons. The muscle you build from resistance training will increase your endurance, help you burn fat, improve your bone density, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Muscle takes up less space than fat, and you’ll start to feel stronger and leaner by resistance training.

If you’ve never lifted weights before, it can be a bit daunting in the beginning. Whether you’re working out at home or a gym, a fitness app can help create a program for you, track your progress, and provide some instruction. If your phone is an older model that doesn’t support the apps that you’d like to use, consider upgrading to a newer model. Your wireless provider may be able to offer a discounted device or trade-in deal to help ease the cost.

Motivate yourself.

It’s important to stay motivated in order to stay on track toward your health goals. Of course, it’s just as critical to make sure you’re doing so in a way that aligns with what you’re trying to achieve. For example, treating yourself to a greasy cheeseburger and side of fries for dinner as a way of celebrating a morning workout will stall your efforts. Instead, consider these ideas for keeping your momentum going:

• Treat yourself to a new pair of running shoes or a new outfit to exercise in.
• Choose a book, show, or podcast that you can only enjoy when you’re working out. This gives you something to look forward to every time you exercise.
• Many find music to be a motivator. Pick up a pair of wireless sweat-resistant headphones so you can listen to your favorite tunes while working out.
• Share photos of the healthy food you prepare on social media. Most people these days fancy themselves foodies, and your online friends will offer you encouragement to stick with your health goals. They may even share some useful tips with you!

Create a community.

According to research, women find social interaction more rewarding than men and even have stronger needs for connection. You can make this work to your advantage by getting involved in a like-minded fitness community with friends who have health goals of their own. This can help you stay accountable and motivated. For example, on a day that you’re feeling tired or uninspired, knowing that you’ll see your friend at the gym can be enough to get you out the door.

You can also consider joining a group fitness class that allows you to form connections with others. You can also create a buddy system for your fitness plan. If you live far away from your workout buddy, you can share workout programs online and take advantage of online fitness resources.

Even if you’ve experienced roadblocks in the past when trying to lose weight, it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. It’s important to use healthy, sustainable strategies that take your specific needs and preferences into account. Practicing mindful eating, incorporating strength training into your routine, staying motivated, and involving your community will help set you on a path toward long-lasting results.

When you’re ready to make lasting and transformative changes to your health, visit Volition Dietician to get your health on track.