You Can Do This: Five Tips On How To Shed Those Last Few Pounds

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(Newswire.net — August 22, 2022) — If you’ve successfully been following a new and healthier regime but are finding those last few pounds are stubbornly sticking around, you’re not alone. It’s a common problem, and there are several reasons why it happens so often.

Hormone shifts, brought about by the weight loss itself, can, ironically, work to make the body try to hold on as tightly as possible to the last few pounds. A slowing down of the metabolic rate, too, can be the culprit. Finally, after spending so many weeks or months working hard to get fitter and resisting the temptation of certain foods, it’s understandable if a few ‘cheats’ have gradually crept in, which could be hampering your efforts.

You’ve done so well in achieving your weight loss and fitness goals: use the five tips below to keep going on this final straight of your journey.

Get Meal Planning

One of the best ways to keep your health regime on track, and temptations at bay, is to plan your meals carefully so that you’re less likely to resort to take-out food or a fatty snack when you get in from work at the end of a busy day.

There are lots of hacks to help with this: batch cooking and freezing healthy, nutritious meals is a great way to ensure that there will always be something quick and easy to simply heat up when you’re too tired to think about heading to the shops for ingredients and preparing a meal. Using a slow cooker, too, is a means to easily prepare meals that’ll be ready for you at the end of the day.

You could also consider using a meal prep service – this is an effective way of both taking some of the pressures off of your day while also ensuring that you’re eating healthily. Most meal kit delivery services offer a wide range of healthy dishes that can perfectly support your dieting efforts.

Up the Exercise Ante

Another effective way to get rid of those last annoying pounds is to simply increase the time you spend exercising by ten minutes. This simple hack is a relatively pain-free means of going the final mile (literally!) to meet your fitness goals. So, if you swim or jog daily as part of your health regime every day, or a couple of times a week, simply add ten minutes to your session time.

And if you’re not currently undertaking an exercise regime? Commit to ten minutes of fast walking, yoga, or using weights for ten minutes a day from now on – you’ll be amazed at the difference this can make in reaching your goal. 

Eat More Often!

It can be tempting to try to drastically cut back on your food intake in a bid to shift those last pounds but resist this. As well as being unhealthy, starving yourself is likely to slow your metabolic rate further, which means that as soon as you start eating normally again, the pounds could pile back on much quicker than they otherwise would have.

Instead, eat small portions of healthy foods every three to four hours – as well as boosting your metabolism; this will also help to stave off the hunger pains that could lead to reaching – understandably – for the biscuit tin.

Eat Mindfully

It’s natural – especially when we’re hungry – to eat our food quickly and continue eating even after our bodies are telling us that we’re full up. When eating, make a conscious effort to do so mindfully: this means eating slowly and paying close attention to the flavors, tastes, and textures of the various elements of our meal.

Listen to your body as you enjoy your meal or snack – you’re more likely, if you eat this way, to stop as soon as you start receiving the ‘full’ signals. And you may be surprised at how much more satisfied you feel after eating less than you maybe normally would.

Pay Attention to What You Drink

It’s not just our choice of food that can stymie the final phase of our diet: drink can play a key role, too.

Alcoholic beverages, particularly, can play havoc with our plans: wine and beer, for example, are high in both calories and sugar. You may be shocked to learn that a large glass of wine contains around 200 calories.

Lattes, smoothies, and other sweetened drinks can also bump up our daily calorie intake. Where possible, opt for plain water: liven up a jug of water by adding fruit slices or even a sprinkling of cinnamon to add a lovely hint of flavor and color. At the cafe, go for a skinny coffee rather than a creamy latte with all the extras or sparkling mineral water instead of a soda.

Crossing the Finish Line

You’re so close! Firstly, congratulate yourself on your amazing achievement so far as you approach your goal. Then, use the tips above to finish the job: shifting those last few pounds may be the most difficult part of the journey, but have no doubt: you’ve got this.