By paying taxes you have already paid for the creation of a diet that can help you achieve your healthiest and most aesthetic body weight and maintain it for a lifetime. Research sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health has resulted in tools that you can put to use to select the quantity of food and the amount of exercise you need. In addition, work by experts in therapeutic nutrition can be put to use, free of charge, to select foods that enhance your body and health while correcting weight.
Step 1
Weigh yourself after waking up and measure your height carefully. Then calculate your body mass index, or BMI, using an on-line BMI calculator and use a BMI chart to determine your target weight range. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Step 2
Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, the number of calories you need to simply live. Online calculators use your age, gender, height and weight to determine this number. As you lose weight it's critical to recalculate the BMR because it will decrease, and failing to do so is one reason people stop losing weight after they drop a few pounds. Make a note on your calendar every five weeks reminding yourself to recalculate your BMR.
Step 3
Multiply your Basal Metabolic Rate by 1.2 if you are sedentary, or 1.375 if you engage in an hour of exercise at least five times a week. This is the number of calories you need to eat each day to stay at your current weight. If your BMI is over 24.9, subtract 500 calories from this figure to determine the calories you can eat each day to lose one pound per week. This rate of loss was the amount determined by Harvard's George Blackburn, Ph.D., to create the best chance for permanent weight loss. Blackburn also recommends stopping weight loss for six months after every 10 percent body weight loss. If you want to lose weight faster, add a 90 minute walk of five miles or roughly 10,000 steps each day and this will allow a 170 pound person to take off another pound per week without omitting any additional calories or nutrients according to Health Discovery.
Step 4
Plan your meals with intention and then shop and eat according to your decisions. If you want to reduce many health risks while losing weight, consider choosing those proven to fight inflammation which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and depression. Andrew Weil, M.D., whose work focuses on the therapeutic use of food has developed a food pyramid designed to help you choose foods that meet this goal. Like the Mediterranean Diet Plan, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Weil recommends five vegetables a day, three whole fruits or berries each day but he also suggests adding five servings of food rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as avocado, salmon, olive oil and walnuts.
Step 5
Make sure to count calories when selecting portions by reading labels, measuring portions and using a calorie chart. For example, if you enjoy a glass of red wine or beer and have no health contradictions, limit the portion to 4oz. or 1/2 cup a day. You can expect to your healthy, high density lipoprotein of HDL-cholesterol by 16 mg per deciliter; a significant health benefit for a 100 calorie investment, according to British physicians E. Rimm and L. Hines writing in the 2001 issue of the "Postgraduate Medical Journal." Any additional alcohol only adds empty calories and the possibility of damage to the liver.
Step 6
Eliminate those foods which do not serve your goal. White flour, white rice, white potatoes, white sugar and saturated fats add calories without supplying substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals. Banishing these will make room in your meals for foods with high nutrient density.
Tips and Warnings
- If your BMI is over 40 you may benefit from the use of medications, gastric banding or gastric bypass surgery to increase the speed of weight loss. While instituting the basic dietary recommendations is still a sound idea, you should also seek medical advice from a bariatric specialist.
Things You'll Need
- Bathroom scale
- Journal
- Measuring cups
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Body Mass Index
- Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital: The Science of Set Point
- Health Discovery: Calorie Calculator
- Red Orbit: Weil's Anti-Inflammation Food Pyramid
- "Postgraduate Medical Jounral",Moderate alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease:LM Hines and E Rimm; 2001
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