Are you having trouble losing weight no matter what you try? It could be because you're missing a few basic ingredients to weight loss. Here are easy but essential diet hacks inspired by Celebrities on Reality TV shows "My 600-lb Life" and Honey Boo Boo's "Mama June: From Not to Hot." Reports by TLC and MSN provided information for this article.
Adjust attitude
Do you want to lose weight?
No seriously, do you really want to? A lot of people talk diet, but walking it, not so much. They convince themselves that they don't need to lose. They cheat on the diet and lie about how many calories they consume. Even after bariatric surgery, celeb Mama June Shannon is gaining again. The celebrity feels she was hot at 300 pounds overweight. Make up your mind to lose or you won't.
Admitted we were powerless...
You can't believe the crazy stuff "My 600-lb Life" folks try to pull on Dr. Younan Nowzaradan. 700-lb Lee Sutton felt he was malnourished. Penny Seager drove through McDonald's every day because she couldn't walk.
Many tell the reality television doc that their hundreds of pounds of obesity are "just water weight." The Al-Anon 12-step program starts with admitting addiction and weight problems.
Face it
Dr. Now often has to make patients like 850-lb Steven Assanti face obesity in the mirror. Since Mama June's gastric bypass and plastic surgery makeover, confidently obese Honey Boo Boo has taken dieting more seriously. As uncomfortable as it is, take a good look at your body. Note the cellulite and places you could trim--not to fat-shame but to see things more clearly.
Clean the fridge
"My 600-lb Life" star Lee Sutton and girlfriend Rena Kiser are shown filling their grocery cart with junk. Weight loss begins with what you don't put in your mouth.
And that begins with what you don't put in your house, fridge, cupboard, or grocery bag. You may suffer cravings but if the food isn't there, you can't eat it.
Thriving through cravings
Cravings are survivable, despite what TLC's weight loss surgery patients say. But why survive when you can thrive? Swap the candy for frozen fruit and ketogenic high protein power bars. Make your own granola bars low sugar. Nix salty snacks for crudites (cut vegetables) and Greek yogurt dip for appetizers.
De-carb meals
Meals don't have to contain starch. Dr. Now says to avoid white foods like rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread in recipes. Swap for better grains like quinoa, freekeh, or amaranth. Use nuts and seeds in place of bread.
Deconstruct sugar, fat, and salt
Take recipes apart and look for calorie leaks from fat (especially trans fat, hydrogenated, or saturated). Stop the leak with MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids). Find ways to cut sodium and added sugar.
Drink more water
Often you're less hungry than thirsty. Keep a refrigerated glass jug of water at hand and sip on it all day. Trade soda for fruit water with fresh strawberries, lemons, and limes.
Sooner before later
It's easy to wait too long to eat. Lee Sutton talked about being so starved after shopping that he ate a lot of the food immediately. Don't wait till you're that hungry. Eat earlier in the day, rather than later. Don't wait till blood sugar spikes and you start cramming food to stop the hunger.
Pull the plug
Late night TV equals late night snacking of the mindless kind. Shut the television off a few hours before bed and read, for a more restful night. Stop eating a few hours before bed to avoid stored fat from unburned calories.