Over two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Excess body fat increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain forms of cancer. Lowering your body weight by even 10 percent can improve your health and lower your risk of disease. Losing weight is perceived as stress to your body, so you need to know what you can expect during the process.
Features
Losing weight is about sustainable, lifestyle changes. You want to keep the weight off long-term, so you need to follow a realistic plan. Your plan should include cardiovascular exercise, resistance training and dietary changes. It may also include behavior modification or therapy if you feel it is needed. You have lived your life one way for a long time, and the weight did not come on overnight. You need to change your unhealthy habits to healthy alternatives.
Time Frame
Weight loss takes time. Plan on trying to lose only .5 to 1.5 pounds per week. You may want to lose it faster but you will find that you need drastic measures to do so. The first week or two you may see more loss than this due to excess water weight. Your body will release this water and your weight loss will slow down. This is a good thing. This means that you are making small changes and you are not shocking your body. Keep it gradual.
Function
As weight is released from your body, you will notice that physical activities become easier. You will be able to move around and perform daily activity without as much effort. Exercise becomes easier and your heart rate and breathing become more efficient. Your joints may have less pain as you reduce the weight they have to carry. Circulation improves and your blood pressure and cholesterol levels decrease.
Emotional Factors
Losing weight and gaining it is very emotional for some people. When starting a program, many people feel depressed about how they look or the state of their health. As the weight comes off, you begin to feel better about yourself and how you look. You sleep better and have more energy. You find that daily stress is easier to handle and have an improved outlook. Sometimes these things happen naturally but other times you may need to talk to a professional about all these feelings. Weight loss is significant and you need to learn how to cope with the changes.
Considerations
Some factors can affect the rate at which you lose weight or how you go about the process. Your health and any medications you are on should be taken into consideration. Talk to your physician before beginning a weight-loss plan to see if there is any type of activity or diet changes that you should avoid. Age is also a consideration since your metabolism will slow down as you get older. This means that losing weight may take more time. Do your best and stay focused. The weight will come off.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook"; Nancy Clark, MS, RD; 2008
- University of New Mexico: Small Changes and the Obesity Epidemic
Member Comments