How to Lose The Weight Without Losing Your Mind

The Battle of the Bulge is not just the name of a famous battle from World War II. The name can also be applied to the daily struggle many go through to keep from packing on the pounds. And once a person reaches a certain age, that battle just gets harder and harder as our metabolisms slow down and our weight slowly and steadily increases. What's a person to do? Many resort to counting calories to drop the pounds. But is this really the best way to lose weight?

Why Counting Calories Often Fails

Counting calories is a terrible way to lose weight for several reasons. First, it's an inexact science. The calorie amounts listed on food containers are rarely accurate. They are close, yes, but not exact. Depending on a variety of factors, a particular food product could very easily have more or fewer calories than what is listed on the container. Another problem with counting calories involves the issue of dining out. How do you count calories at a restaurant? While many fast food restaurants do list calories on their menus, most upscale restaurants do not. Counting calories while dining out involves a lot of guesswork. And unless you want to get a lot of funny looks, bringing a food scale with you and weighing your food at a restaurant is about as practical as walking a cat on a leash. Counting calories is a lot of work. Before each meal you have to take the time to write down how many calories you are getting ready to eat in the little notebook you always carry with you and add them to your daily tally. Be sure to leave a few calories for your evening snack! Finally, counting calories can leave you hungry. Is your stomach still growling after using up all of your allotted calories for the day? Too bad. That's all you're allowed. Suck it up, Buttercup. No, counting calories isn't any fun at all. It's a terrible way to lose weight that just leaves you hungry and grouchy. It's no wonder so many who attempt to lose weight with this method don't stick with it for very long. Thankfully, there are a few simple modifications you can make to your diet to lose weight that doesn't involve counting calories. By implementing these simple strategies, you can lose the weight without losing your mind.

Stop Drinking Calories

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is to stop drinking all calorie-laden beverages. This includes all soft drinks and fruit juices, which contain a shocking amount of sugar. Even milk is loaded with sugar. Yes, it's a natural form of sugar, but it's still sugar. And do I even need to mention alcoholic drinks? Alcoholic drinks are notorious for being very calorie dense. Many can realize significant weight loss just by eliminating these drinks from their diets. It's also important to point out that you can't replace regular soft drinks with their diet counterparts. In recent years, science has confirmed that diet soft drinks cause just as much weight gain as the ones containing sugar. The science is unclear as to why this is, but we now know for sure that they do. What should you drink then? Mostly water. It's also safe to drink coffee and tea as long as you don't add any sugar, milk, or creamer. And if you do want to sweeten a beverage, then you should do so with a natural sweetener like Stevia.

Eat a Breakfast that is High in Protein

Have you ever wondered why your stomach is growling and you feel lethargic just a couple of hours after eating a breakfast of bagels, waffles, pancakes, biscuits, or cereal? It's simple biology. Those foods cause a massive spike in your blood sugar that initially gives you an energy rush. But after that initial burst of energy wears off, you come crashing down. Sometimes hard. One of the easiest ways to lose weight is by eating a meal that is high in protein for breakfast. Eggs, for example, are very easy to prepare and highly nutritious. And not only that, but science has confirmed that people who eat eggs for breakfast stay full longer and end up eating fewer calories throughout the day.

Decrease Your Consumption of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates (carbs) really aren't necessarily fattening, it's just that people tend to eat way too much of them. This is mainly because carbs aren't very filling. It's possible to eat well over 1,000 calories of carbs in one sitting and be ready for seconds (potato chips, ice cream, etc.). There are many different kinds of foods that are considered carbs. Just a few examples include processed foods containing sugar, potatoes, pasta, bread, and so many others. The easiest way to cut these foods out of your diet is to substitute fresh fruits and veggies whenever you are tempted to fill up on a food that is high in carbs.

Baby Steps

You can very easily lose significant weight by implementing these four simple strategies. But that doesn't mean you have to do it all at once. In fact, it is probably best to take it slow and implement one strategy at a time. After you have used one strategy for a few weeks, it will become second nature to you. You won't even think about it anymore. Just a few weeks after giving up soft drinks, for example, the cravings will be gone. You will actually come to prefer water as the weeks and months pass by. Add another strategy when you feel like you're ready. After six to eight months you should be using all four strategies. And you should be significantly slimmer – without counting any calories.