One of the many aspects of staying healthy is maintaining a healthy weight. For many, that means they must try to lose excess weight. Although many people try hard to make healthy choices, they often give up too quickly when offered their favorite foods. Despite a reminder that moderation is a wiser choice than deprivation, many find it hard to keep making healthier choices.
Wise doctors know how difficult it is to achieve health and weight loss. If you’re serious about being healthier, your doctor will likely have several suggestions. The first and most crucial step is to consider your healthy choices a lifestyle plan rather than a restrictive regimen. Healthcare experts also suggest you begin with a few healthy options at a time.
People who succeed in losing weight often say the secret is joining a diet support group. Being able to share your challenges with others who are going through the same thing can give you the motivation to resist temptation. Those needing a more intense approach to weight loss may turn to a medical weight loss program. These programs include weight loss medication, supervised diet plans, and activities.
Obesity, as easy as it sounds, goes deeper than just fat accumulation in the body. The moment your BMI equals or is greater than 30, you are considered obese. The only solution to obesity is healthy weight loss, which requires both motivation and consistency. The surest way to weight loss is a calorie deficit. However, different people take different approaches but realize the same results. Here are some of the best ways to effectively lose weight.
1. Finding the Purpose
As much as this step won’t physically help, it is an extremely crucial step towards any weight loss journey. Once you fully understand why you want to lose weight so badly, then you can gain enough motivation to go the extra mile. Although around 54% of the American population is trying to lose weight, they are all doing it for different reasons. Some because of their health and some just for aesthetics. If you want to embark on a weight loss journey, then search for your actual drive.
2. Exercise
Exercise is among the most popular weight loss approaches. However, many people end up being frustrated. The frustration is either due to a lack of personal discipline or misinformation. Lack of self- discipline accounts for 50% of the unsuccessful weight loss stories in America. Exercise should not be like a punishment to your body. Instead, you should do activities that you enjoy.
Overestimating the calories burnt after an exercise can also lead to devastating results. Expecting to lose weight around a specific area on your body is misleading since exercising a particular part of the body will only build more muscle. To be successful in exercising, ensure you have a realistic plan that you stick to, and get professional assistance if need be. Just don’t expect results overnight.
3. Diet
After tobacco, obesity is the second highest cause of preventable deaths. Therefore, obesity has to be dealt with, even if it means doing away with some foods. For anyone enthusiastic about losing some weight, what they eat matters a lot. Research shows that weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise, which translates to the fact that long hours at the gym and a bad diet is useless.
There is a distinctive line between dieting and starving yourself. With dieting, you must meet your body energy needs and strike a balance between various foods. Having a healthy lifestyle coach could go a long way in dieting the right way. It would be more effective if you have a reliable support system around you during the dieting period.
The Don’ts of Weight Loss
Just like any journey, the weight loss journey is not easier. One bad decision can throw you off balance. However, if you do everything right, effective weight loss is possible. Below are some of the mistakes you’re likely to make in your weight loss journey.
1. Checking your Weight too Often
Once you begin a weight loss journey, getting excited is inevitable. You want to see progress almost instantly, prompting you to check your weight so often. Although tracking your progress is a good thing, doing it every day can discourage you since the weighing scale might go against your expectations on some days.
For instance, menstrual periods can cause weight fluctuations, which sends the wrong signals on the weighing scale. Frustrations by the scale can make you indulge in unhealthy foods, setting back your weight loss journey.
2. Setting the Bar too High
Undoubtedly, reducing food portions helps in weight loss. However, taking in too little calories lowers the metabolism rate, making it even harder to lose weight.
Therefore, getting advice from a professional on dieting is helpful since you are guaranteed that what you take is enough for your body needs. Do not also suddenly cut off your favorite snack because it will lead to craving, which in turn leads to binge eating.
3. Too Much Good?
Once you identify several healthy foods, you might tend to align towards them more, compared to the unhealthy foods. You might find yourself taking too much of the healthy foods. Subsequently, these healthy foods might have the opposite effect due to too much intake.
Losing around 10% of your body weight significantly reduces your chances of getting a heart disease. Take the initiative for a healthier lifestyle today.
