Losing weight is about making tough choices

The biggest part of losing weight is making the hard choice to NOT eat foods you like, but aren't good for your health. It takes tons of willpower to stick to a calorie limit, or stay away from foods you love, especially if you have a sweet tooth, like me.

You know how it is, co-workers will bring in bagels or donuts for the department in the morning. Sometimes there's free pizza and wings or who knows what else that shows up. It's easy to grab a bite as you walk by the "free" food. The thing is, it's not free. The price you pay is with your weight and your health. You have to commit to eating healthier and know that making sure you have healthy alternatives at the ready will help you have the strength to pass up eating the "bad" food. Yes, that stuff tastes good. But the taste only is with you for a few minutes and it leaves you even hungrier than when you started.

Plan your snacks every day with healthy items like fruit, nuts, vegetables (carrots are great to snack on), or yogurt. Once you get in this habit, you'll have those snacks ready for when you have a craving and that will help keep your calorie intake down as well as give your body what it needs, rather than what you want.

Motivation

A big problem for most people is the inability to get or stay motivated to do what's needed for optimal health results. One way to combat this is to use different workout routines. Doing the same thing every can get boring and of course you won't be motivated to do it. Swimming, biking and hiking are all great additions to your workout arsenal. Another way is to use one of the great Beachbody workout routines. It's a different workout every day of the week to keep boredom from setting in. After a few weeks when you get used to the workouts, it gets switched up to something new. Your body has to keep changing to keep up with the new muscles that are introduced with each new workout. Find something you like, and it will be sustainable.

Drink Shakeology for complete nutrition

Everyone's diet has a few holes in it. Drink one Shakeology a day to ensure you are giving your body what it needs.

Lose weight while you sleep

Want to lose weight? Get more sleep. That's right, get more sleep. It's not crazy talk, either. Numerous studies have shown that getting seven to eight hours sleep is essential for weight loss. Here's a good article on how Leptin and Ghrelin play a part in weight loss and how sleep affects these hormones.
In addition, it seems that your brain is the most active during REM cycles of sleep, which means it's burning the most calories for you. If you wake up too early you may interrupt that last cycle of REM sleep, losing that extra calorie burning time as noted in this article from Psychology Today.
For those of us wanting to lose weight, sleeping could be our best friend. I personally have a difficult time adhering to this, as the evening hours are when I can get things done without any interruptions from family members. It's all about making choices to reach your goals. Which goal rates higher on your priority list? Losing weight, or getting those few things done that could be put off until the next day? I know I'm going to choose getting the extra sleep as many nights as possible.