Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to improve your cholesterol level? Follow 7 step by step tips to lose weight and improve your cholesterol level with minimal effort.

1. Don’t Miss Out on Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and even more important if you want to lose weight. You should start your day with lean protein and fiber. Both of them fill you up and regulate your appetite, making you less likely to suffer cravings later in the day. Whole grains like oatmeal (porridge) and nuts are good choices and they both help lower your cholesterol.

2. Manage Your Stress Levels

Many people search for comfort food when they are stressed. Chocolate and Ice Cream are two favorites among the stressed. Unfortunately, they are both very high in fats and calories. There is a medical reason why you reach for those sweet dairy products. Stress makes your body release the hormone Cortisol and Cortisol triggers cravings for sweet and fatty foods. Both of those will make you put on weight and increase your cholesterol levels. So learn some relaxation techniques and practice them daily.

3. Eat the Foods That You Love

It’s a fact that when you starve yourself your body recognizes that and holds on as long as it can to its stored fat. You need to eat often and satisfying foods to avoid that. But you should make some changes so that you are taking in fewer fats and sugars, which by now you must know are both bad for your waistline and cholesterol levels. So change over to low-fat and fat-free versions of foods that you currently eat, wherever possible and choose lean cuts of meat instead of burgers and steaks, better still go for fish and poultry.

4. Re-stock Your Kitchen

You are going to make losing weight and reducing cholesterol twice as hard for yourself if your home is full of the foods that are bad for you. So get rid of all the bags of chips, cakes and biscuits and any fatty frozen foods that are lurking in your freezer. Replace them with healthy fruits, vegetables, nuts and organic foods like organifi red juice that you can reach for when you feel like snacking.

5. Sleep Well

We have discussed before on this site the benefits of sleep to your health and weight loss programme. If you are not getting the daily sleep that you require your metabolism can slow down, burning up less of your calorific intake and making you less likely to exercise. So check our article, lose weight in the dark and get the best possible sleep that you can every night.

6. Find Some Fit Friends

If you regularly hang out with your friends eating Pizza and drinking beer while watching TV eventually that will take its toll on your waistline and cholesterol levels. But if you have friends who you play a sport with, go to the gym, walk, run, cycle or swim, then the opposite will occur. You will encourage each other to stay fit, slim and healthy.

7. Keep a Diary

I was once told if you measure anything it gets bigger, well that’s true for weight loss too. So keep a regular record of your progress, but do not concentrate solely on the scales, check your measurements too, stomach, waist and chest are good indicators. But if you are a regular gym junkie you may want to measure the muscles that you work on, like your biceps, thighs and calves. Recording all of the food that you eat will also keep you going in the right direction, or fix any hiccups that you may have along the way.

8. Exercise

OK, I lost count, so this one is a bonus and we have already covered it above to some extent. But exercise offers many benefits. It burns calories, which helps with weight-loss. So incorporate lots of activity in your day. Include a mix of aerobic exercise and strength training. Everyday tasks, such as cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, sweeping the yard, walking to and from work, or the shops etc. all count too.

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