The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports that losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight require making long-term healthy lifestyle changes, such as healthier eating and physical activity habits, and balancing the number of calories you consume with the amount of calories your body uses. The CDC also reports that if you lose weight slowly, or about one to two pounds per week, you are more likely to be successful at keeping the weight off.
Healthy Eating Habits
Eating habits can affect your body's weight. The Harvard School of Public Health developed the "Healthy Eating Pyramid" as a guide to healthy eating habits. The bottom parts of the pyramid include fruits, vegetables and whole grains, such as brown rice and whole wheat pasta. The pyramid also includes eating fish, poultry and eggs and nuts, seeds and beans. According to the pyramid, you should eat red meat, butter, salt, sugary drinks and refined grains such as white rice, white bread and pasta sparingly. Focusing on healthy foods can help you to control the amount of calories you consume. The Harvard School of Public Health also recommends thinking before you eat, eating smaller portions and eating more slowly to help with weight loss.
Aerobic Exercise
According to the CDC, burning calories through physical activity, along with healthier eating habits, can help you to lose weight effectively. The American College of Sports Medicine, or ACSM, recommends 60 minutes or more of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on most days of the week for weight loss and weight maintenance. Some aerobic exercises include walking, running, cycling and swimming. Choosing an enjoyable activity or a variety of activities will help you create consistent exercise habits.
According to the Mayo Clinic, aerobic interval training is another way to increase the amount of calories you burn. Short, repeated bursts of intense activity followed by a period of light activity may help you burn more calories, improve aerobic fitness and add variety to your workouts.
Strength Training
Strength training, when combined with aerobic exercise and healthy eating, can not only help you to lose weight, but it can also help you increase or maintain your muscle mass. Increasing or maintaining muscle mass can help you improve your metabolism, which can lead to burning more calories at rest. The ACSM recommends exercising the major muscle groups of your body at least two times per week. Besides helping with weight control, increasing muscle mass while decreasing fat mass can help you improve bone health and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
References
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Weight
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Losing Weight
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source - Getting to Your Healthy Weight
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight
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