Losing weight is only half the battle, keeping the weight off is the other half. Keeping off lost weight is often more difficult than actually losing the weight. Losing weight permanently requires concentration, motivation, and a very strong will. Anyone can shed a few pounds for an occasion or two, but few can say they have successfully completed a weight loss program and kept the weight off. Permanent weight loss requires a permanent lifestyle change. So say goodbye to junk food and television and hello to exercise and healthy foods.
Diet
Step 1
Avoid diets that will not yield permanent weight loss results. There are many diets that are effective in shedding pounds quickly. However, these diets will not result in long term success. Try avoiding diets that promise quick weight loss results, are based on unbalanced nutrition programs, and only allow for the consumption of certain foods in particular quantities and strictly prohibit the consumption of other foods.
Step 2
Eat a balanced, healthy diet. Try to incorporate foods from all food groups into your diet. Eating five meals a day is important in not leaving your stomach empty for extended periods of time. Eat small, easily digestible, frequent meals. Never skip meals and always eat breakfast.
Step 3
Cut out the fat and sugar. Fat is an extremely high source of calories. The more calories you consume the more difficult it is to burn calories and lose weight. Avoiding foods that are fried, boiled, and bake are a great means of reducing fat consumption. Also avoid pastries, cakes, pies, other desserts, mayonnaise, and dressings. Sugar is another item to avoid. It gives you many useless calories. Try consuming no more than 2 teaspoons of sugar a day.
Step 4
Eat fiber and reducing your salt intake. Fiber keeps the body functioning properly. It will give you a feeling of fullness and reduce your appetite. Salts are in just about every food we consume. Avoid adding extra salts to your food and avoid foods that are naturally high in salt content.
Exercise
Step 1
Walk for about 45 minutes a day. Any exercise that goes beyond 30 minutes will result in more calorie burning and weight loss. Brisk walking will help you burn even more.
Step 2
Engage in cardiovascular exercising such as swimming, riding a bike, or running. These will burn off calories and boost your metabolism.
Step 3
Cut out of the television and eating just because. Try going for a run, taking up an aerobics class, or any activity you enjoy that will burn calories and get you up off the couch.
Tips and Warnings
- Keeping a food diary will allow you to visualize what you consume and figure out your eating habits. This can be a valuable tool in losing or maintaining your weight. Get rid of your ""fat clothes"". Sell or donate all of the clothes you own that are now to big. If you only have clothes that fit, you are going to be more likely to stick with your healthy lifestyle. If you are going to be buying new clothes, it will feel much better to buy clothes that look and feel great rather than having to reinvest in larger size clothing because you slipped up. Treat yourself to a good tasting, yet low calorie treat once a week. Avoid temptations and reward yourself for a job well done. Buy a pedometer and try to walk an extra 1,000 steps a day. This will help burn more calories. If you can, go for 2,000 extra steps. Purchase a blue plate and eat off of it. Blue suppresses your appetite.
- Avoiding unhealthy dieting is extremely important. These types of diets lack your basic every day nutrition. They can also lead to eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. Avoiding over training while exercising. Allow your muscles to rest and rebuild between workouts. Over training will also lead to overuse injuries which will mean time spent recovering instead of time spent living healthy. If anything hurts or if you have extreme difficulties losing weight and keeping it off, contact your family doctor. They can treat your pains as well as recommend alternative, safe methods to continue your weight loss program.
Things You'll Need
- pedometer
- journal
- blue plate
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