5 Ways To Kickstart Your Weight Loss Without "Dieting"

With tomorrow being the official start of this year's Slim Down Challenge, I am here to share with you 5 ways to kickstart your weight loss without going in a "diet."

1. Make your house a safe zone. This one comes straight from our Biggest Loser friend Lisa Rambo. Rid your house of snacks and foods that are not healthy. You should know what those foods are—cookies, packaged cakes and sweets, sugary cereals and all those easy, processed, high carb foods. Get rid of them so you don't have easy access to get them when you get hungry or are having an emotional need to eat.
2. Drink more water. Drink at least a gallon or more a day. And remember that soda or coffee do not count as water. Water helps flush your system as well as making you feel full.
3. Cut back on drinking soda. There is no nutritional value to drinking soda, and that goes for diet soda as well. Between all the chemicals, sodium and the fact that it really doesn't hydrate you, we recommend making a different choice. Try some flavored water, infused water or use some of the different, natural flavor mixes that are out there. Try this for at least 10 days. You will likely find that you do not crave soda anymore and you will probably lose more than a few pounds in those 10 days. I used to drink 6-8 20 fl oz bottle of Diet Coke a day. In the first 2 weeks of cutting out Diet Coke, I lost 14 pounds.
4. Prepare your own meals. Start learning to cook and prepare your own meals. Know what's going into your body. Start reading food labels and buying better foods for you and your family. Cut down on eating out. 
5. Pack your meals. Prepare for success. If you take the time to just package your own meals and snacks, you are preparing for success. Eat only what you pack; stay away from the quick, fast food trap. Stay out of the break rooms and the area where all the "treats" are.

Now these are just 5 ways to kick start your weight loss without going on a "diet." These are simple lifestyle changes you can make to help yourself succeed. Did you notice I didn't mention anything about exercise? That's because you can't out exercise a bad diet! It doesn't matter how far you run, how many aerobics classes you take or how many minutes you spend on a treadmill or elliptical, you won't lose weight or maintain weight loss if you don't take control of your eating habits.

I hope many of you join us in the next few weeks and sign up for the Slim Down Challenge. This weight loss challenge is designed to help keep you motivated and focused on changing your lifestyle, not just focusing on the scale. Other weight loss contests or office pools likely focus on how many pounds you can lose in a short amount of time. We've done that before. It can work in the short term, but the problem is that almost everyone who loses a large amount of weight in a short time period is on a diet. Once you come off a diet, more than likely you'll gain the weight back, if not more. 

I'm so excited to announce that iHeart Media Eau Claire has become our media partner for this year's challenge. We will also be having our Weigh-In Assist Events starting tomorrow January 9.

• January 9 | 3-7 PM — GNC Oakwood Mall in Eau Claire
• January 10 | 3-7 PM — Anytime Fitness on Golf Road in Eau Claire
• January 11 | 3-7 PM — Planet Fitness in Eau Claire
• January 14 | 11 AM-2 PM​ — GNC Valley View Mall in Onalaska

Stop out at any of the Weigh-In Assist Events to register for prizes and giveaways. For more information about the Slim Down Challenge go to warriorslimdownchallenge.com or warriorofwellness.org. Thanks again for watching and please feel free to share this video and LIKE us on Facebook @becomeWOW and @warriorslimdownchallenge.