While being overweight can certainly make you feel less attractive, it poses other dangers, as well. A person who is overweight is much more likely to suffer from a stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and other diseases. Small, simple lifestyle changes are all that are needed to achieve a slimmer, healthier body.
Get Moving
"Regular physical activity is important for good health, and it's especially important if you're trying to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight," says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the most part, losing weight is about creating a discrepancy between the number of calories taken in and the number of calories burned in a given day. For example, eating a cheeseburger may add about 500 calories to your daily count, but one hour of jogging can burn about the same number of calories. For some people, the diet aspect of getting slimmer is the most difficult, but increasing the amount of exercise you do in a day can allow you to maintain a higher caloric intake and still eat some of the things you truly enjoy.
Find something fun to get into in your spare time. Biking, shooting hoops with the kids, jogging, coaching a sports team for kids--if you do what you love, it won't feel like exercise. The less it feels like a chore, the more likely you are to stick with it.
Eat More Frequently
While it might sound backwards, eating more often can lead to a slimmer waistline. According to Bally Total Fitness, not only does the act of eating and digesting food burn calories but it also spurs the metabolism. Eat small meals every three to four hours for best result. For the first few days, you may have to eat even though your body's internal clock hasn't yet told you that it is hungry. Pretty soon, your body will become accustomed to this new eating schedule and allow you to be hungrier more often. While it may be tempting to skip meals, doing so only causes your metabolism to slow down and your body to store fat. Start with a small meal at breakfast and have a small meal every three to four hours after that until bed.
Make Better Choices
While it is important to eat more frequently for those who want to slim down, it is also important to make better choices when it comes to the things you put on your plate. While it may be difficult to cut it out entirely at first, cutting back on refined sugar, carbohydrates and fatty foods can go a long way. Opt for the fruit cup in place of the french fries, and consider a grilled chicken sandwich in place of a cheeseburger. Stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables--they're full of fiber to make you feel fuller, and are also low in fat and contain only natural sugars.
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