It’s a new year! What better way to start the year off right than with a plan to lose weight, get in shape and get healthy.

So if you’re tired of starting over then I’ve got some tips for you so that you can lose weight and keep it off permanently!

These tips will help you get started on achieving your healthy lifestyle goals and allow you to lose weight and say goodbye to those unwanted extra pounds!

DIET

One of the most important things to do when you’re trying to lose weight is to CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS.

This doesn’t mean that you need to go on a trending fad diet that may help you lose weight, but isn’t strong enough to help you maintain your weight.

You need an overall lifestyle change and that includes the way you eat.

It doesn’t take much time out of your schedule to change your habits and eat cleaner.  You’ll feel SO much more healthy when you eat the right foods and of the right quantity.

One of the best ways to change your lifestyle diet is to switch to an organic vegan one.

It’s beneficial to your body to increase the fiber in your diet — which will clean out your colon of all toxins and bad bacteria that only slow you down and actually prevent you from losing weight.

A great first step to getting started with your weight loss journey is to get rid of those toxins by detoxing.

Red tea is great for detoxifying the body, which will help you lose weight.  You can get more info about red tea here.

WHOLE GRAINS

Instead of eating refined or processed foods, you should be eating whole grain foods.  These foods are ones like brown rice and whole wheat bread. Whole grains contain higher amounts of fiber and fewer fats that are bad for you — like trans fat and cholesterol (ew!).

FRUITS & VEGETABLES

You should also increase your intake of protein, minerals, and vitamins. This includes piling more fruits and vegetables onto your plate as well as omitting red meat, fish, chicken, and all other animal meats for a vegan diet.

You can eat MORE fruits and vegetables and still lose weight than you could with meats…so the more, the merrier!

You’ll be eating clean, fresh foods and helping save animals’ lives while also doing good for the earth — which is so important for us humans and all the creatures in our world.

NO MORE JUNK FOOD

One of the most important parts of losing weight is to completely eliminate junk food out of your diet.  Just don’t even buy it to avoid temptation or snacking out of boredom.  That way, you won’t even have to worry about it being there.

This means eliminating snacks such as candy (like Snickers), chips (like Doritos & Lays), non-vegan ice cream that contains a lot of preservatives and artificial flavorings, milkshakes, and sodas.

Popcorn is the exception as long as it isn’t loaded with salt and butter or any other baddies…..and it should be air popped.

Even though you can find suitable storebought vegan snacks, it’s best to make homemade, healthy snacks at home as much as you can.  Especially while you are going through the process of losing weight and shaping up.

If you do buy packaged snacks, just make sure to read the labels carefully as the wrongs ones that claim to be healthy can be just as bad as snickers and Doritos.

Good substitutes for those artificial sugary weight gainers are fruit and veggie snacks.  You can have these with a few almonds as well.

DRINKS

Replace sodas with water.  You can infuse water with fruit to give it more flavor (I love some freshly squeezed lemon!).  Herbal tea (cold or hot) and coffee are also good.  You can add stevia to both if you don’t like it plain.  Just be careful to not load up on the caffeine.

I like 1-3 cups of herbal tea a day…depending on how I feel.  I generally don’t like more than one cup of coffee a day or none at all.

If you add milk to your coffee, then you can use any plant-based milk.  This could be any like almond, soy, or coconut milk — depending on your taste.  A little touch of pure vanilla extract also helps to give your coffee a little more flavor.

You’ll find that these small changes make a huge difference in your sugar and fat intake.  You may even notice how light you’ll feel and that you’ll have less bloating and digestive problems.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Making a lifestyle change with your diet will make you healthy and give you more energy.

When you first start this change, it may take a little time to get used to it.  Your body has to adjust to the extra fiber and a complete change in the foods that you are now eating.

It won’t happen overnight, but it’ll soon pass and your body will work better and more efficiently.

You’ll have more strength and vitality…..and feel like an entirely new you.

FOOD MATTERS

Keeping your body in good shape doesn’t just depend on exercising, like a lot of people think.  Your diet is actually the main thing that determines how much weight you’ll lose and how quickly.  That’s why it’s so important to change it.

Fitness isn’t ruled out, but it’s wasted time if you aren’t eating the right types of foods and quantities.

Losing weight and getting in shape is about 80% of what you eat and 20% of exercise.

CONCLUSION & STAYING ON TRACK

Always keep in mind that looking after your well-being and staying fit is a mandatory investment in yourself.  It’s something you should not disregard.  Neglecting your health and making poor food choices will more than likely give you health issues as a result.

Having the right diet is one part of staying fit that does not have to take a lot of time to prepare and plan for.  Meal prepping one day a week is a great way to get your cooking time down during the week, especially if you work full-time.

Making these changes now will ensure that you get and stay healthy so that you can maintain a lifestyle of eating properly and exercising daily.

If done consistently, you’ll be guaranteed to lose weight fast and be in the best shape of your life — and hopefully for the rest of your life.

With these tips, you can really go far with your weight loss goals and be able to do all the things you want to do in your life.

I hope this gives you some ideas that you can implement today to begin your weight loss journey.

Leave a comment below letting me know what your biggest challenge is with losing weight and staying healthy!