Weight Loss Tip #2: Take A Break Occasionally

I always emphasize to people who ask about my weight loss that for me it wasn't a diet, but a lifestyle change geared towards health, not necessarily being thin. Granted, eating healthily and working out tend to lead to thinness, but certainly not being model thin, which is often unhealthy.

Why am I mentioning this? It's because a healthy lifestyle will always have room for sweets and higher calorie foods as well as days off from exercising. For example, denying yourself any sweet food, for your entire life, is unrealistic. What matters is that you can put the bad foods in perspective and eat them occasionally.

I used to go days without sweet foods and then get a hankering and binge. Then the cycle would start over. During the last year when I finally got fit, I ate sweets, a couple of days a week in small amounts. Guess what? The binges were a thing of past and I lost weight; and I've kept it off.

So, enjoy the foods you love, just occasionally and always as a part of an overall healthy diet and fitness plan. I will use it sometimes, but I don't like the word "moderation." Some foods should not be eaten frequently, even if in moderation. Eating moderate sized portions of unhealthy foods occasionally is my preferred method. If you truly are focused on your goal and supported by friends and family, you will be able to find a place for those treats every now and then.

The same is true for exercise. Your body needs a break, especially with strength training. In fact, over-exercising can weaken your immune system, undoing a major benefit of exercise. I tend to work out 5-6 days a week, but always take one full day off and make another day a more moderate workout