Lose Those Lingering Pounds

Are you having trouble getting your body to let go of those last five or ten pounds? Luckily, there are things you can do to get to your goal weight. First, keep a food journal for a week. Write down every little bite and drink that passes your lips, along with the time and how you feel when you are eating. You can then use this journal to identify weaknesses in your routine. Perhaps you eat the scraps off of other peoples' plates (a common mistake among mothers- remember, "Sooner or later everything goes to waste. It does not need to pass through you first."). Or perhaps your downfall is not eating until you are too hungry to be sensible of what it is you are putting into your body. You also may find that eating several small meals instead of three squares a day can be to your advantage, since the metabolism will be primed for a energy supply is constant and will not have to go through periods of conservation.

Next, think about the exercise regimen you are following. Has it been the same for a long time? Then change it. Try a new class at your local fitness center, go dancing, get exercise videos and/or DVDs from the library. There are even websites that have fitness videos you can make from clips of exercises you choose from their libraries. Do something that is a change of pace, like playing soccer with your family or lifting weights. Your body has adapted to be efficient when doing the exercises you have already been doing, so do something new to shock your body out of its comfort zone.

Consider weighing in daily. Pick the same time and circumstances every day (like right after you wake up and go to the bathroom, but before eating breakfast), and graph your progress. My favorite website (which will be at the bottom of this article in the reference links) graphs the results of your daily weigh-ins, and allows you to chart exercise in the same place, just below the weight graph. You can also log your measurements, if you think that it will make more of an impression on you and be a more accurate way to track your progress.