6 Tips to Jump-Start Your Weight Loss

If you've ever tried to lose weight you know it's rarely easy. It takes time, commitment, and learning—new habits have to be formed and bad habits broken. But with the right advice, you can jump-start your weight loss journey.

And who better to get that advice from than people who've been winning the weight loss battle? We asked members of the Cooking Light Diet what tips they could offer to people wanting to jumpstart their weight loss, and their responses were both enlightening and super helpful. Here's what they had to say.

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF. 

To be successful losing weight, you can't beat yourself up when you break down and splurge one day, or don't end up getting the exercise in you'd planned, or lose the weight you wanted to in a week. Cooking Light Diet member Nicole Kessler says that not getting frustrated by slower weight loss is key. "When I first started I only weighed myself once every 10-14 days.

 I used to be able to lose weight very quickly, but now that I am older, it is much slower. I knew that it would frustrate me to step on the scale after feeling so hungry and not seeing rapid results. ...[Just] make sure to be loving to yourself—patient and forgiving." Because the road to a healthier lifestyle isn't as smooth as glass, it's bumpy and full of potholes. Just don't give up the journey when you hit a pothole. You've got this!

DEVELOP A MANTRA.
Come up with some sort of daily saying/affirmation, write it down, and recite it when you're feeling like you might be getting off track. Lindsey Lorraine has nailed it with her 3-part mantra.

1. Give yourself credit. Stop putting yourself down, and give yourself credit for the things you succeed at. Even if it's small things like giving yourself credit for eating half the bag of chips. Give yourself credit.
2. Find balance. There has to be flexibility in your life. You won't lose weight every week, and you will lose lots of weight some weeks. You have to find a balance in what you do and eat.
3. Strive for progress, not perfection. Try just doing a little more than last week. Even if you do one push up the entire week, well, that's probably one more push up than the week before. You have progressed :)

 

KEEP A FOOD DIARY.
It helps to visualize what you eat and do day-to-day so you have a better understanding of what works on your journey. Carmen Leon says keeping a record of her meals has been enlightening. "I find that meal planning is everything...[and] I also keep a food diary. I write down everything I eat, my exercise for the day...this has helped me so much as well." Accountability is important, and keeping a written record goes a long way towards achieving your goals.

 

BE SELF-AWARE.
"To thine own self be true." Know your limitations, your weaknesses, your pitfalls...and make peace with them. Community member Elyssia Marshall Mathias says this is vital.

"That was key: Being honest with yourself and realizing which foods are without brakes. Then don't buy it."

Mathias says that no matter how much time goes by or how well she does, she knows she can't buy "Cheetos, potato chips, Mayfield Moose Tracks ice cream, peanut butter cookies, etc."...so she doesn't. You know yourself better than anyone, so know which foods are nonstarters on your healthier lifestyle journey.

HAVE A SUPPORT GROUP IN PLACE.
Anne Ritchie says that having support and encouragement from others trying to reach weight loss goals has been paramount to her own success. "The thing that helped me the most in my weight loss journey is this wonderfully supportive group of people. And it's a great 'diet.' Really it's a lifestyle change so sometimes it's tough in the beginning to rearrange your thinking about how we cook and what we eat. But that's where this group comes in. We are all doing the same thing!"

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE GOALS.
Contrary to certain products and services that have cropped up over the years, there's no such thing as a quick-fix when it comes to weight loss. Cooking Light Diet member Ann Marie Mantoine Shuler stresses that you have to embark on the journey one step at a time. 

"Don't try to change everything all at once. ...By working on one better choice until it's a habit and then working [on] your next better choice, you will make sustainable changes." This is a sentiment that Cyndie Moran has echoed on her way to losing over 60 pounds.* "I had a significant amount to lose and looking at the big picture was overwhelming. I made 5 pound goals.

 Every time I made it to the next 5 pound increment I felt like I accomplished something and would change my goal to the next 5 pounds. I also made several gradual small changes over time rather [than] a lot of big changes suddenly and my changes [became] habits a lot easier." Set small goals so you don't get overwhelmed by the bigger picture, and everything else will fall into place.

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4 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

 

4 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight on the Keto Diet, According to Nutritionists

So after hearing everyone from Hollywood celebs to the trainer at your gym to your sister rave about the weight they lost by going on the keto diet, you've finally decided to give the keto lifestyle a try.

You're not alone. Short for the ketogenic diet, this super popular eating plan has a simple premise: by consuming mostly fat plus a moderate amount of protein and a very low level of carbohydrates, your body will go into ketosis and burn fat for energy instead of carbs. 

Part of the lure is that the keto diet has been shown to work, especially if you want to lose weight fast. But what if this isn't happening for you? 

Maybe you’re not dropping pounds on the keto diet at all, or you’ve hit a plateau—or you’re (gasp) gaining weight, even though you're sure you're following the guidelines and measuring out your food intake. It's frustrating, we get it. But before you throw in the towel and go back to bread and bananas, find out the reasons your scale hasn't budged, plus what you need to do to be a keto success story.

You’re not actually in ketosis

It sounds preposterous because you’ve slashed all. the. carbs. and worked hard to keep your sweet tooth in check. But if you’re not seeing results, “you need to make sure you’re truly in ketosis,” says exercise physiologist and nutritionist Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, of Mohr Results. So test your urine, breath, or blood—you can buy kits to use at home for each of these. And remember to aim for getting 75% to 90% of your daily calories from fat.

You’re eating too much protein

The keto diet often gets mislabeled a high-protein diet. It’s not; it’s a high-fat diet that calls for a moderate amount of protein. Eat too much protein, though, and it could prevent you from reaching (or kick you out of) ketosis. Most people on keto should aim to get 6% to 25% of their daily calories from protein sources.

You’re overlooking hidden carbs

Dairy, nuts, and veggies are all keto-friendly foods, but they also all contain carbohydrates. If you don’t pay close attention to how many carbs are in the foods you’re eating in those categories—even if you're only overindulging a smidge here and there—your daily carb count is likely higher than you think.

Keto followers should limit their carb intake to 2% to 5% of their daily calories, which means you have to keep track of every bite. “Following a keto diet is challenging, so plan ahead," suggests Mohr. "Count out how many nuts you can have for a snack in advance. And focus on getting your carbs from veggies, which for the most part are lower in carbs cup-for-cup than dairy, fruit, grains, and legumes." 

Your daily calorie intake is too high

As with every diet, calories still count when you're on keto. “It doesn’t matter which nutrient group your calories are coming from or not coming from; if you eat more calories than what your body needs over an extended period of time, you will gain weight,” says nutritionist Jamie Vespa, RD, of Dishing Out Health.

The main nutrient you’re eating—fat—is typically quite satisfying. Yet “every gram of fat has more than double the calories than carbohydrate or protein,” explains Mohr, “so depending on your food choices, it’s possible that how you boost your fat intake, say by spreading on some extra butter, or drizzling on more oil, merely adds calories, but doesn’t increase satiety.”

Don't forget, when you follow a diet that restricts an entire food group or a major nutrient, it becomes that much more important that you make your calories count and choose nutritious foods. “I’ve seen everything from sugar-free Jell-O to Slim Jim’s included in keto-friendly snack roundups, which we know won’t do us any favors nutritionally," advises Vespa. "'Keto-friendly’ has become a buzzword, so it’s important to consider the nutrient makeup of that food beyond just grams of fat and carbs."

MENTAL HEALTH

 MENTAL HEALTH

Growing a mustache or beard is fun, but the symbolism behind it is what this month is all about.
November Community Development Manager Keith Sexton says it's to raise awareness and build a support system for men battling cancer, a mental health illness or something else.

"Most men aren't doing anything about their health, they're not taking action, they're not talking about anything and they're dying too young. On average, men die about six-years younger than women and it's really mostly from preventable causes," Sexton said.

Sexton says three out of every four suicides are men  taking their own lives.
"We're losing one man a minute across the globe," Sexton said.
Growing a mustache or a beard is the most popular way to show support for men battling cancer or a mental health issue, but not everyone can do so.
Sexton says there are other ways both men and women can support the cause.

"We have a challenge called the moo challenge which is all about running or walking 60-miles throughout the month of November which represents the 60-men that take their own lives every hour," Sexton said.
Sexton says you could also host an event like breakfast at work, a pot-luck dinner or even a corn hole tournament, all great ways, he says, to support the cause and get involved.

Another one of those ways to show support is to be a listening ear.
"For men, it's all about opening up a little bit and seeking that help when it's needed," Sexton said. "When it comes to mental health, if you are feeling down and having some issues talk it out with a trusted friend. For everyone else, if you notice a man in your life that might need some help be open to listening to him and hearing him out. You don't need to solve the problem you just have to be there and listen to him and that could mean the world to somebody and make a huge difference in someone's life."
WHY MEN’S HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH (NOVEMBER) IS SO IMPORTANT
There is this fear or macho-man attitude many men have about getting checked by a doctor for cancer, a mental health disorder or something minor in comparison.
"When it comes to prostate and testicular cancer, they're actually very curable if they're caught early enough and so we really want to encourage men to make sure they are checking themselves or going to the doctor for that," Sexton said.
With mental health, it's about being there and encouraging someone going through a rough patch to talk about it.
"It's trying to get rid of that stigma that men can't be vulnerable and can't express their feelings and talk to somebody," Sexton said.
He said talking about your feelings takes more courage but helps more than burying them deep within.

IN NOVEMBER, HELP MEN FIGHT CANCER — THE BEST CHARITIES & HOW TO DONATE
November is a separate movement and organization than No-Shave November but both raise awareness about the causes on display this month.
"The November Foundation is the leading charity dedicated to changing the face of men's health in the U.S. and around the world," Sexton said. "We really want men to live happier, healthier longer lives and we're doing that by investing in three critical areas which are prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health and suicide prevention."