How Apps and Social Media Can Help Your Weight Loss Plan

How to Swipe, Tap, Click Your Way to Weight Loss

If you’re among the app aficionados and gadget groupies using social media on the daily, putting the popular tech platforms on task to achieve body goals is a no-brainer.

But with more than 165,000 health apps tallied in 2015 by IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, not to mention the endless variety of social apps, knowing where to start can you leave you feeling disconnected.

Before you get started, check out these dos and don’ts of making social media part of your weight-loss strategy.

DO: Share your goals

When you only have to be honest with yourself at the end of the day, willpower can easily (and rapidly) fall to the wayside. Want to stick with that goal? Share it with others.

Dr. Gail Matthews, psychology professor at Dominican University of California found 70 percent of 267 study participants completed a goal or were more than halfway there when they sent weekly updates to a friend.

The success rate dropped to 35 percent for those who didn’t write down their goals or share them with others.

In addition to sharing your goals on social media, blogging can lead to big weight-loss wins. In a survey published in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine, 194 participants reported an average 42.3 pound weight loss since they began sharing their journey online.

Dieticians Reveal The Top 5 Diet Mistakes People Make In January.

Year after year, we make resolutions we can't keep, but it's not because we're not motivated! In fact, it may come down to the fact that we're so motivated, we set ourselves up for failure. 

When it comes to diet, so much comes into play, from emotional eating to personal dietary needs and preferences — it can be a little difficult to navigate a New Year's diet. Let's channel all that motivation and be on the lookout for top diet mistakes these dietitians have seen year after year come Jan. 1.

1. Focusing on the "Can't"

"Focusing on what you can't eat or do — and focusing on what's 'off limits' — is a recipe for failure," said Lisa Eberly-Mastela, RD, MPH. And you've probably experienced this before: ever gone on a detox or diet and focused so much on the fact that you "couldn't" have that slice of pizza or "couldn't" eat that croissant that you forgot all about your favourite healthy foods? It's a surefire way to backfire on your plans.

Her solution? Focus on what you can eat. "For January, I always recommend keeping a 'fresh abundance' mindset — fill up your belly and feel satisfied with foods that make you feel energetic (think: fruits, veg, protein) to start off the year and get your energy back postholidays."

9 Thoughts We All Have When We Start a New Diet.

After all of the eggnog lattes and cookie exchanges that dominated your December, it's natural to want a fresh start. You want a new diet to take you out of bloat city, make you feel invincible, and help you lose weight. This will be the year you stick with your resolutions and make them a reality!

If you're trying to make 2018 your healthiest year yet, that's amazing. But, here's the thing, most people don't embark on their weight-loss journeys in a way that is sustainable. Instead, they plunge in with a "go hard or go home" mentality that veers toward the "go home" option once reality sets in.

Sounds like your M.O.? Then you'll majorly identify with this list of the thoughts that will course though the brains of new dieters everywhere.

Related: 8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Start To Lose Weight.

When you find yourself thinking these common diet thoughts (and yes, we've all been there!), follow our tips to flip the script, learn how to start dieting the right way, and up your chances at success.

Always Remember This One Piece of Advice When It Comes To Your Weight Loss.

Making major lifestyle changes is always a tough feat to accomplish. Whether you're adopting a brand new diet, trying to get eight hours of sleep a night, or giving up alcohol for the first time, shifting to a brand new habit is far from easy. The same goes for losing weight. When you're trying to shed excess pounds, it often all boils down to a culmination of everyday choices we make. And we all know that those daily habits are the hardest ones to keep.

My weight has fluctuated over the years, but 2017 was finally the year when my weight-loss efforts stuck. I'm sure it was due to a combination of smart choices, like eating a plant-based diet and strength training more often, but much of my success can be attributed to one piece of weight-loss advice that made it so much easier to reach my goals: ignore everyone.

 Related: 8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To tart To Lose Weight

This may sound unconventional and perhaps a little wacky, but trust me, when implemented in a smart way, this instruction will give you all the tools you need to reach your own goals. Here are three reasons why this advice has helped me so much in the past.

People Will Always Comment on Your Weight-Loss Efforts

How The 80/20 Rule Will Change Your Weight Loss Plan

One balanced approach to lifestyle change—and lasting weight loss—is the 80/20 model. The idea is that 80 percent of your choices are made in the planned and predictable environment of your "normal" routine and are therefore mostly healthy, while 20 percent of your decisions are made in situations that are not part of your normal routine, and therefore may include indulgences or lapses. You might be at a birthday party and have a slice of cake, or maybe you get superbusy at work and miss a few days of exercise.

At first glance, an all-or-nothing approach actually seems easier to stick to because it's so black and white; there are hard-and-fast rules that are simple to follow. The 80/20 approach, on the other hand, requires judgment and moderation; you have to make decisions and choices on the fly. For example, can you have just one of your trigger foods (one of those foods that you struggle to eat in moderation) in a given situation? Can you take a day off from exercise and get right back to the gym the next day?

The keys to making 80/20 work are that 

1) understanding that the 20 percent is a normal part of life and it's better to make peace with it than attempt to avoid it altogether, and 

2) you haven't "blown it" and one indulgence or lapse doesn't have to cascade into several more. 

Related:  8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Start to Lose Weight

Actors Give Advice on Diet & Exercise

             


Really interesting video. Its about how actors deal with getting to the right weight for movies. The motivation remains the same whichever size you want to be. It all takes hard work.

Let me know what you think?

Why You Need Help Losing Weight.

We all know how to lose weight. Eat healthier foods, watch your portion sizes, and exercise more often. It’s a simple formula — so in theory, we should all have no problem getting to our goal weights and staying there.

But obviously it’s not that easy, or we’d all be at our ideal weights right now. So if we’re all following the same basic rulebook, why are some people successful and others need help losing weight?

The difference is mental toughness. Resilience, determination, willpower — whatever you want to call it, your mindset is what will ultimately make or break your weight-loss success.

We’re not saying you can simply think yourself thin. The rules still apply: You need to fine-tune your nutrition and break a sweat regularly. But if you want to be successful — if you want this time to be different — you need to have your head in the game. Because your healthiest intentions will be tested. You’ll have stressful times and comfort-food cravings and days when you just can’t get motivated to work out. And that’s when your brain needs to step up to the plate and keep you on track.

5 Simple Tricks To Stick To Your Weight Loss Goals

Really good advice. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts.

This One Trick May Help You Lose Weight Without Extra Effort

The motivational quote you might want to start using as your weight loss mantra is "shoot for the moon and you'll land amongst the stars."  And it doesn't just sound ~inspirational~. According to recent research, setting your weight loss goal high sets you up to lose more weight overall. 

In a new study, 46 women who predicted they'd shed more weight over a 27-week diet period dropped more lbs (37 on average) than those with less lofty targets (who lost as little as 13); they were also more likely to have maintained their loss at a one-year check-in. This challenges the common belief that setting higher-reaching goals could make dieters abandon ship. 

Related: 8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Start To Lose Weight

Victoria A. Catenacci, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, says the findings may inspire a new weight-loss strategy: Set an ambitious big-picture goal, then celebrate at smaller incremental points (Catenacci suggests up to 10 percent of your weight in six months). "You'll make progress toward your major goal, but your success along the way will provide ongoing motivation." 

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3 Success Story Weight Loss Tips.

Weight loss is hard. It's not black and white, and it's certainly not cookie cutter. There are struggles, setbacks, and times you might wonder, "Why did I even start? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?" But with these stories from women who achieved their success in all different ways, we can gain a strong sense of hope.

There's a different approach for everyone, and each woman's winning combination of tools is different. That said, there are a few common themes that we've noticed again and again, ones that you can implement no matter what your body type, habits, or goals.

Women were interviewed, who have lost between 25 and 225 pounds; their three best tips (collectively) were about movement, mindful eating, and support systems. We'll let them tell you exactly how these things worked in their journeys and how each contributed to their overall success.

8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Start To Lose Weight.

You know you want to shed pounds and you're pretty clear on the changes you need to make to reach that magic number on the scale. But you also know that getting—and staying—on track can be super-daunting, especially if you're running low in the motivation department.

Fear not, dear grasshopper. We went to the experts for the inside scoop on how to reach your weight-loss goals no matter how unmotivated you are.

Here's a step-by-step guide to get amped.

ESTABLISH WHY YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT