The hope for effortless weight loss leads Americans to spend money every year on products "guaranteed" to help you lose weight. The FDA warns that products claiming to help you lose weight while eating anything you want are bogus. The good news is that while it takes effort and persistence, anyone can lose weight safely by making healthy lifestyle changes. Rather than a quick-fix fad diet or gimmick product, long-term weight loss success involves exercising and sticking to a healthy diet. A 10 percent weight loss reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers. Consult with your doctor before implementing diet or exercise changes.
Step 1
Calculate your target weight. For example, if your current weight is 150 lbs., a 10-percent weight loss means losing 15 lbs., so your target weight is 135.
Step 2
Set a date for achieving your goal. A healthy rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 lbs. a week and requires reducing calories by 500 to 1,000 a day, according to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. Weight loss is often the most rapid at the beginning, so base your calculations on a 1 lb. a week rate to avoid frustration. For example, set your target date for 15 weeks from today if your goal is to lose 15 pounds. Taking up to six months for a 10-percent weight loss is a reasonable goal.
Step 3
Write a plan of action for achieving your 10-percent weight loss in a food and exercise journal. Write out an exercise schedule starting from your current level of activity and increasing your exercise duration each week, to reach an average of one hour a day of exercise. Increase your exercise by manageable increments. If you've been sedentary, start with 10 minutes of exercise a day and increase your time gradually.
Step 4
Choose a healthy, balanced diet to follow, or create a strategy for cutting calories from your current diet. Cut out one high-fat indulgence a day, substitute low-calorie foods for high-calorie ones or reduce the size of your portions, recommends MayoClinic.com. Track calories--or the number of servings you eat from each food group--in your notebook to help manage your weight loss.
Step 5
Learn portion control to keep your diet on track when you eat away from home. A 3 oz. serving of fish, meat or poultry is the size of a woman's palm; a 1/2-cup serving of cooked vegetables such as broccoli is the size of a cupcake liner, a 1/2-cup serving of mashed potatoes or rice is the size of a tennis ball.
Step 6
Reward yourself for accomplishments. Write a list of non-food treats in your notebook and indulge in them regularly when you complete your workouts and stick to your diet. For example, call a friend or family member, take a quiet hour to yourself, take a trip to a scenic area, go to a spa, or go to a gallery or other place you enjoy.
Tips and Warnings
- Think of managing your 10-percent weight loss as a lifestyle change. Choose diet and exercise strategies you can keep up long-term. For example, most of the successful weight loss participants in the National Weight Loss Registry report walking for their exercise. College and university health centers often offer nutritional counseling for students and staff. Some employers may also provide or facilitate nutritional counseling or weight loss programs.
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: FDA 101 Health Fraud Awareness
- The National Weight Control Registry: Research
- National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute: Facts About Healthy Weight
- MayoClinic.com: Counting Calories: Get Back to Weight-Loss Basics
- University of Illinois: McKinley Health Center: Making Sense of Serving Sizes
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