Follow these proven strategies to reduce your weight and improve your health.
Hundreds of fad diets, weight loss programs, and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. However, the foundation for successful weight loss remains a healthy, calorie-controlled diet combined with increased physical activity. To achieve long-term weight loss success, you must make permanent changes to your lifestyle and health habits.
How are these permanent changes made? Consider following these six strategies for weight loss success.
1. Make sure you’re ready
Long-term weight loss requires time and effort and a long-term commitment. While you don’t want to put off losing weight forever, you do want to make sure you’re ready to make permanent changes to your diet and exercise habits. Ask yourself the following questions to help you determine your readiness:
-Am I motivated to lose weight?
-Am I too distracted by other pressures?
Do I use food as a way to deal with stress?
– Am I ready to learn or use other coping strategies?
-Do I need other support, friends or professionals, to manage my stress?
– Am I ready to change my eating habits?
-Am I ready to change my activity habits?
-Do I have time to make these changes?
Talk to your doctor if you need help dealing with stressors or emotions that seem to get in the way of your preparation. When you’re ready, it will be easier for you to set goals, stay committed, and change your habits.
2. Find your inner motivation
No one else can make you lose weight. You need to change your diet and exercise to make yourself happy. What will give you the motivation to follow your weight loss program?
Make a list of what’s important to you to stay motivated and focused. Whether it’s the upcoming vacation or better overall health. Then find a way to ensure that you can call on your motivators in times of temptation. For example, you can put an encouraging note on the pantry door or on the refrigerator.
While you must take responsibility for your own behavior to achieve weight loss success, it helps to have the right kind of support. Choose supportive people who will encourage you in a positive way, without embarrassment, embarrassment, or sabotage.
The ideal is to find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings. And that he will spend time exercising with you or creating healthy menus, and will share with you the priority you have placed on adopting a healthier lifestyle. Your support group may also offer to empower you. Which can be a strong motivation to stay true to your weight loss goals.
If you prefer to keep your weight loss plans private, be responsible to yourself and weigh yourself regularly. Recording your diet and exercise progress in a journal or tracking your progress using digital tools.
3. Set realistic goals
It may seem obvious to set realistic weight loss goals. But do you really know what is realistic? In the long term, it is advisable to aim for a loss of 0.5 to 1 kilo per week. In general, to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 more calories than you consume each day. And this thanks to a low-calorie diet and regular physical activity.
Depending on your weight, 5% of your current weight may be a realistic goal, at least for an initial goal. If you weigh 82 kilos, that’s 4 kilos. Even this level of weight loss can help reduce your risk of chronic health problems. Such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
When setting goals, think about both the process and the results. “Walk for 30 minutes every day” is an example of a process goal. “Lose 5 pounds” is an example of an outcome goal. It is not essential to have a result objective. But you need to set process goals because changing your habits is the key to losing weight.
4. Enjoy a healthier diet
Adoption of a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include reducing total caloric intake. But cutting calories doesn’t necessarily mean giving up taste, satisfaction, or even ease of meal preparation.
One of the ways to reduce your calorie intake is to eat more plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Try to vary foods to meet your goals without sacrificing taste or nutrition.
Start your weight loss journey with these tips:
-Eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit a day.
-Replace refined cereals with whole grains.
-Use modest amounts of healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, nut butters, and nut oils.
-Reduce sugar intake as much as possible, except the natural sugar from fruits.
-Choose low-fat dairy products and lean meat and poultry in limited amounts.
5. Get active, stay active
Although you can lose weight without exercise, regular physical activity and caloric restriction can help you lose weight. Exercise can help burn excess calories that you can’t eliminate through diet alone.
Exercise also provides many health benefits. This includes improving your mood, strengthening your cardiovascular system, and lowering your blood pressure. Exercise can also help maintain weight loss. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term engage in regular physical activity.
The number of calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration, and intensity of your activities. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through regular aerobic exercise. Like brisk walking, for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Some people may need more physical activity than this to lose weight and maintain that weight loss.
Any extra movement helps burn calories. Think of ways to increase your physical activity throughout the day if you can’t get formal exercise on any given day. For example, go up and down the stairs several times instead of using the elevator. Uu park at the end of the lot when you go shopping.
6. Change perspective
It’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for just a few weeks or even a few months if you want to manage your weight successfully and long-term. These habits must become a way of life. Lifestyle changes start with an honest review of your eating habits and daily routine.
After evaluating your personal weight loss struggles, try to develop a strategy for gradually changing the habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your previous efforts. Then, not only acknowledge your struggles, but plan how you will overcome them if you want to succeed in losing weight once and for all.
You are likely to have the occasional hiccup. But instead of giving up completely after a failure, he’ll just start over the next day. Remember that you intend to change your life. It will not happen all at once. Maintain your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.
* HealthKey strives to convey health knowledge in a language accessible to all. In NO EVENT can the information provided replace the opinion of a health professional.
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