The 8 Rules to Losing Weight Permanently

Most of us have gone about weight loss the wrong way. We view it as a "problem" that we must fight to resolve or cure. In actuality, weight gain is the result of our short term thinking and our life style choices. If you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off, it's time to make the following 8 changes.

Rule 1. Burn more calories than you consume

Forget diet pills, fad diets, and any thing else that falls outside of the following this simple rule. On a daily basis, you either have to burn more calories, eat less calories or do both simultaneously. While this rule is simple, it is not easy.

Rule 2. Fast is slow and slow is fast

Many of today's weight loss programs and products promise fast results using their system for a short time frame. This allows you to lose weight quickly. However, what happens when you try to go back to living without that system? You gain the weight back. Sometimes, you gain back more than you lost. The return of the weight while not using their system is exactly what the companies want. It keeps you buying their system because you now believe that if it worked once, it will work again. This is the classic yo-yo diet.

Which would you choose: losing weight quickly with a high probability of rebound, OR losing weight slowly over time but keeping it off permanently?

Make lifestyle changes that are easy to maintain to lose weight permanently and to live a healthy lifestyle from here on out.

Rule 3. Eat To Live, Don't Live To Eat

You know what your body needs to survive. We learned the majority of what constitutes a healthy diet in elementary school. The body does not need a quarter pound or third pound and higher amounts of anything. The body does not need a liter of any sugary drink you can buy or make at home. It does not need large amounts of anything you typically put condiments on.

Instead of viewing food as a source of fun and entertainment, view eating as a necessity to strengthen the body to survive. Food can maintain you or slowly destroy you over time. It comes down to what and how much you eat and drink. When we live to eat, we can often find ourselves with a lower immunity, a lack of energy, lack of clarity of mind, and an increase in life altering or life threatening diseases. When we eat to live, we feel better, look better, think better…we are better.

Rule 4: Eat From a bowl or small plate

To assist with portion control, eat meals from a bowl or small plate to reduce your intake. You won't starve and you won't be saddled with severe hungar pangs. This is an easy way to reduce calories and eat more appropriate portion sizes, whether you stick to your usual diet or change to a healthier one.

Don't go back for seconds!

Rule 5: Get Moving

You can burn more calories by moving about a bit more. Take fast walks. Take long walks. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Ride your bike or run a little farther each day. Swim. Do pushups and sit ups at home if you are physically able to do so. Play a physical sport that you love. Don't forget about lifting weights and cardio at the gym.

Check with your doctor to see what you can safely do. Then do it every single day.

Rule 6: Celebrate Selectively

We tend to celebrate holidays and happy occasions with food. Usually that consists of party food, and we typically go overboard with it.

When going to a celebration, you need a plan. Decide how much you are going to consume before you arrive. Drink water in place of soda and other sugary drinks. If the food tastes good, eat it slower to savor the flavor. Don’t eat fast and push past your full point.

Rule 7: Bag It, Don't Buy It

Bring your lunch to work each day. The food you bring from home will most likely be healthier and less fattening than what you are likely to buy as a quick meal on the street. When you bag it, you have complete control over portion sizes. You can also bring a snack that will be a better choice than candy or chips.

When you bag it, you also save a lot of money!

Rule 8: Make lunch your biggest meal of the day

We normally eat dinner somewhere between 5pm and 8pm each night. We wind down and then go to bed on an almost full stomach. We don’t give ourselves an opportunity to work off some of that meal before sitting still for hours through the night. Instead, make lunch your biggest meal of the day. You still have the entire day ahead of you. The meal you consume will give you the energy to power through the day, full of energy and ready for each challenge. Eating a lunch sized portion for dinner will mean less food in your stomach while you sleep, which is a better alternative when losing weight.