A Step-by-Step Guide to Losing Weight the Healthy Way
I eat too much. I love food. I have my demons, and I’ve been fighting to be or stay in good shape my whole life. The way I stay in decent shape is by eating high quality food and exercising. For more on that, check out My Eating Disorder.
There are thousands of articles on the Internet on how to lose weight. Obviously, an Organic Lifestyle Magazine article will have a more natural slant than most articles, but this article is also a very conscious and clear, step-by-step guide that anyone can use.
When I was fat, I found myself overwhelmed with information on how to lose weight. Let me assure you, if you are obese, this article comes from a man who knows the battle we wage in our head as much as anyone. But like everything else you will learn about improving your health in Organic Lifestyle Magazine, weight loss is not a quick fix. Being healthy and thin is a lifestyle; it’s a journey. And you can actually lose weight very quickly in a healthy way when you do it right. But keeping it off means doing it right for the rest of your life.
The Healthy Mindset
Pleasure is short term. It comes in spades with happiness, but it comes at a price with consumption. And often that price exceeds the number on the price tag.
First and foremost, if our mind isn’t right, our diet isn’t right either. Allow me to be very blunt, dispel some myths, and then note some hard truths:
- If you are overweight, you eat too much
- If you are overweight, it’s not your thyroid, your genetics, or your spouse who cooks too well that is the problem
- If you’re overweight, you do not exercise the right way often enough
- If you’re overweight, there is no pill that is going to fix your weight without serious consequences
- If you’re overweight, there is no temporary diet that will allow you to lose weight and then go back to your old lifestyle
- If you’re overweight buying supplements, essential oils, or any fitness products on a late night infomercial isn’t going to take off the weight (though I do recommend B vitamins, vitamin D, and a nutrition powder)
- If you’re overweight, it is your fault
The world is a much, much better place when you’re in shape. People treat you better and take you more seriously when you’re thin. Everything is easier. Life feels better. It’s a massive difference. I used to believe that I was never going to be thin, that I was going to be stuck being fat my whole life. And I believed that people should treat me with the same amount of respect regardless. But while I have mixed emotions about this now, the fact is, everything becomes easier when you’re thin, from getting a promotion, to getting a date, to getting up the stairs. Everything.
I used to say my thyroid was slow, and this is why I was fat. My thyroid was slow. It was slow because I was eating too much, eating crap, and not seriously exercising.
I used to tell people that my whole family was fat, and it was just genetics. I knew that was a lie because my dad was skinny as a rail, but even if your whole family is overweight that’s due to learned behavior not genetics.
The mindset of a healthy person that struggled with weight loss is this:
I need to burn more calories then I consume to lose weight.
If your thyroid is slow, it’s going to be harder. If you smoke, it’s going to be harder. If your liver is toxic, it’s going to be harder. But it is still the same rule. It’s science. And while there are some variables, the bottom line is that to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume.
And if you’re like me, a binge eater, a stress eater, an “I don’t need an excuse to stuff my face sick” eater, than eat mindfully. Don’t go into that zone where you’re just stuffing your face. Stay in the moment, mindful and aware.
For Those Who Don’t Have Food Issues
There are plenty of people who don’t binge eat (or rarely do) and don’t even eat very much and still cannot seem to get into the skinny jeans no matter what they do. These people need exercise and they need more produce in their diet. And, in many cases, a liver detox.
Quick Weight Loss
It is totally possible to lose weight quickly and stay healthy. Forget the experts who tell you it is unhealthy to lose weight too quickly. It is unhealthy to lose weight in an unhealthy manner. If you’re eating healthy, and you’re not taking drugs to assist in weight loss, and you aren’t killing yourself in the gym, and if you’re getting enough sleep, it doesn’t matter if you’re losing 10 pounds a week or 2. Healthy is healthy.
If you follow the following steps strictly, you will achieve very quick and very healthy weight loss.
Healthy Weight Loss Plan
Step 1 – Start a Journal
Write down everything you’re eating. People kid themselves. People outright lie to themselves. People forget. Write it all down and hold yourself accountable.
Step 2 – Get a Scale and Measuring Tape
Every morning, at the same time, write down your weight and your measurements in your journal. In my experience and with those I’ve helped, the day you stop measuring and checking your weight is the day you’re off the wagon and back to gaining weight.
It is important to weigh yourself at the same time in the morning, nude. A common mistake to make when weighing oneself is to weight yourself one morning when you wake up and then the next morning after you’ve used the restroom, or had a glass of water, or had a bowel movement, etc. You can lose and gain a surprising amount of weight with these regular morning activities. For me, I always have a bowel movement in the morning, and I weigh myself at my lightest, which is before I eat or drink anything but after I use the bathroom. That’s how I keep it consistent.
Do not weigh yourself multiple times throughout the day! That’s just asking for drama.
And please, if you’re one of those people who think they’re fat when they are not, like when everyone tells you that you look great but you “know” you’re fat, you need to do just the opposite and throw away your scale!
Step 3 – Learn Proper Breathing
Proper breathing will help with stress relief, detoxification, and weight loss. For that information, check out How to Breathe. Do not skip this. Do not doubt its importance. This is life changing.
Step 4 – Exercise
Start exercising every single morning, and every single night, before bed. Exercise at least twice a day. Turn your body into a high metabolism fat burning machine that has no choice but to build muscle and burn fat.
Exercise for Weight Lose
Here is an example of a plan that I recommend, and it’s one I’ve implemented with great results.
In the morning do squats and pushups, and pull-ups if possible. If you can’t squat, stand up from a chair and sit back down many times. If you can squat, squat all the way down. Check out good form and practice it. If you can’t do pushups, do them on your knees. If you can get to some sort of pull-up bar but are unable to do pull-ups, set it up so you can stand up, and then use your arms as much as possible to let yourself go down.
With all the cheats, the idea is to progress more and more until you can do it the conventional way. And progression is key. If you did five squats yesterday, do five today. If you’re sore, do five anyways. When we are focused on weight loss, especially for people who have struggled with it their whole life, routine is key. The idea is to try not to get too sore the first day so you can keep slowly progressing every day, without taking a day off. Not taking a day off has two benefits. It tells both your mind and your body that you are an active person who lives a physically active lifestyle and it also keeps one day off from becoming two and then more.
At night, I like yoga to relieve the stress accumulated from the day and to help me sleep. You can also do more bodyweight exercises. But most importantly, stretch.
After two weeks of doing these bodyweight exercises it’s time to add some other exercise. Take 20 minutes to break a sweat every morning and every night. Breathe heavily. Exercise hard. An example, depending on your fitness level, would be 25 jump squats, 15 pushups, 5 pull-ups, and then 15 minutes of sprints. Make it intense, and make it build muscle and endurance.
Step 5 – Take Up an Active Lifestyle
If you like to go to the gym, got to the gym. This is in addition to the aforementioned workout program. If you have stairs and an elevator to choose from at work, take the stairs. If you sit at a desk all day, get out of the chair and bust out 20 squats when you’re feeling lethargic. Sit on a Swiss ball instead of a chair at work. Go hiking on the weekends with friends. Park as far away as possible from the entrance of the building. Walk faster than everyone else. Get a stress-ball to play with at work.
Step 6 – Eat Right
Eat Produce. Raw, fresh produce. Not just fruit, eat salads. Eat lots of salads. Read How to Be Healthy. Live, eat, and breathe a healthy lifestyle with lots and lots of produce. And don’t skip breakfast. My weight loss diet goes as follows:
- Pre-breakfast – 1 apple and a glass of stevia sweetened cranberry lemonade
- Breakfast – (after a workout) Large salad with a low-fat (or non-fat) homemade dressing
- Snack -1 Fruit
- Lunch – A smoothie with organic berries, leafy greens, and coconut water, and coconut oil
- Snack – A small salad or watermelon
- Diner – Brown rice and beans, or a quinoa stir fry with veggies
Breakfast is my largest meal; it keeps me full for hours and sets the tone for healthy eating all day. Dinner is smaller than breakfast or lunch. I also recommend coconut oil, pineapple, and avocados to anyone trying to lose weight.
Step 7 – Get More Nutrition
I don’t think people looking to lose weight should go out and buy a bunch of supplements and exercise equipment the first day. If you have the discipline to stick with the aforementioned routine, supplements are going to be much more beneficial. Plus, you may find you have a better idea of which supplements you need.
Almost anyone can benefit from Vitamin D, a B vitamin Complex, and Total Nutrition Formula. If you don’t get it from our sister site, Green Lifestyle Market, just make sure you’re getting very high quality supplements. They are not all created equal. And most supplements are actually counterproductive and toxic. Unfortunately, it’s a dirty business. Choose wisely.
Step 8 – Detox
All of the other previous steps can be taken one step out a time, either waiting one day, or one week to start the next. They can also be started all together on the first day. What works for you is what works for you. If you have the discipline to jump right in and start doing everything right, then go for it all on the first day. But if you are struggling with obesity and you do not suffer from any serious health problems at the moment, I recommend you wait and detox after a few weeks of living a healthy and physically active lifestyle.
I usually recommend starting a detox when you reach a plateau on your weight loss regimen. This is also a good time to go ahead and get some supplements. While I so recommend supplementation, I don’t like to push it on people who aren’t ready to get healthy. If you’ve stuck to the program for a few weeks, and you’re serious about losing weight, it might be the perfect time to choose a supplement wisely. You’ll be less likely to waste your money. For a list of detox plans along with some supplement recommendations, check out Cheap and Easy Detox.
On the other hand, if you have serious health issues that should be addressed immediately, or you are someone who is totally and completely addicted to junk food, it might be best to fast with detoxification first.
If your liver is severely toxic, addressing liver toxicity will help speed up your weight loss. Your liver processes fats. A clean and healthy liver helps you deal with fats properly.
And finally, if your thyroid is slow, supplementation will be helpful with that, too. But I don’t recommend anyone get on thyroid supplements until after they have been exercising and living an active lifestyle for some time, unless their thyroid is so dead that getting out of bed is too difficult, and exercising is impossible. But for those who are hoping to find motivation in a bottle, it’s not that easy.
If you have any questions, or you need to talk about struggling with obesity, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment here or message me on Facebook.
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