6 Necessary Tips For Losing Weight the Healthy Way

When you're ready to lose weight, you want it gone fast — and that makes sense. You're eating right and exercising, so you want it to pay off quickly! But shedding pounds takes time and energy, so you may be tempted to either take extreme measures to lose weight faster or you give up and revert to old habits. If you want to lose weight the healthy way, follow these 6 simple tips and make easy changes to your lifestyle.

1. Find balance. Incorporate appropriate diet and exercise into your lifestyle. Don't starve yourself if you hate working out or kill yourself in the gym over the cake you devoured after lunch. Create a smart eating plan and regular exercise regimen to see healthy weight loss results. To see a one-day menu for healthy eating, click here! And if the gym isn't your thing, do some Skinny Mom workout videos at home!

>> Try this HIIT workout to boost your metabolism and allow your body to rest between exercises!

2. Log your food and fitness. Whether you track your calories or simply write down your meals and workouts each day, tracking your progress will keep you on track to reach your goals. You'll hold yourself accountable by logging everything you eat to make certain you're getting enough of the right kind of foods each day.

>> Read more: See Your Best Results By Tracking Your Food and Fitness

3. Don't skip meals. Yes, you lose weight by burning more calories than your consume, but don't skip any meals to make that happen! Your body needs the fuel and nutrients of healthy foods to naturally burn calories, and restricting your eating can actual promote fat storage. Aim to eat breakfast, lunch and supper with two snacks for optimal results.

4. Make it a lifestyle change. Quick fix diets may work temporarily, but when the five or ten days are over, you're back to your old habits and the pounds quickly pack back on. Instead of relying on crash diets, create your own healthy menus each week or start your weight loss by making simple, easy swaps you can keep up.

If you like the convenience of having a plan to follow, try the 21-Day Shred! It includes a maintenance plan so you can incorporate the healthy habits you develop into a smart lifestyle.

5. Don't let setbacks derail your progress. You won't always be able to (nor should you) resist every slice of birthday cake you're offered. Making foods "off-limits" isn't healthy for your mind and you'll likely eat that forbidden food as an emotional crutch the minute things get tough. Allow yourself the occasional indulgence, but start each day fresh and try your best to maintain a smart diet.

6. Ignore the scale. Weighing yourself religiously can negatively affect your mental health, and the number on the scale doesn't give you an accurate depiction of weight loss anyway. Fat and muscle weigh the same, but muscle is more dense, meaning it takes up less space. You can completely transform your body without losing a single pound!

>> Read more: 5 Reasons to Throw Your Scale Away… Today