Steady weight loss is geared toward making positive lifestyle changes. The ultimate goal is to get down to a weight that you feel comfortable with and maintain that weight for the rest of your life. This takes discipline and the right blend of eating and exercising adjustments.
Identification
In an attempt to lose a mass amount of weight in a hurry, people often resort to the use of pills, powders, crash diets, avoiding particular food groups and fasting from food altogether. It is not out of the question to be successful at losing weight through these approaches, but it is hard to continue on such as track for the long haul. Slow and steady weight loss takes longer, but it is safer and easier to stick with for the long haul.
Calorie Cutting
Calorie cutting is an integral part of steady weight loss. The goal is to get your body to burn stored fat for energy. If you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you'd lose about 1 pound a week, according to the Mayo Clinic's website. For example, if you current intake is 2,350 calories, your new intake will be 1,850 calories. To figure out your starting intake, track your calories for three days, add your totals together and divide by three. If you need help finding calorie amounts of foods, refer to an online source like Calorie King.
Nutrient-Dense Foods
Even though you are cutting calories, you still need to keep the calories coming in healthy. Foods like burgers, fries, hot dogs, pork chops and cream-filled doughnuts are all high in saturated fat and sodium. Slowly wean these foods out of your diet and replace them with more nutrient-dense foods like lean meats, fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. If you struggle with this, make one change a week. For example, use low-fat milk instead of whole milk. This way you will not feel too overwhelmed.
Water Consumption
Liquid calories are still calories no matter how you look at it. To steadily lose weight, get rid of the soda, beer, wine, fruit punch and chocolate lattes with whipped cream. Choose water as your main beverage, as it has a hydrating effect on the body, it helps flush out toxins and it also fills you up. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get about 90 oz. of water a day and men get about 120 oz.
Exercise
To add to your caloric deficit, include exercise into your game plan. If you were to burn an additional 500 calories a day, you will be on track to lose about 2 lbs. a week. Choose any type of exercise that you enjoy and do it long enough to burn 500 calories. Utilize an online activity calculator like Calories per Hour to find out calorie expenditures of different activities.
Benefits
When you are overweight or obese, you are at an increased risk for health complications. Type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, coronary heart disease and high cholesterol can develop, according to the Weight-Control Information Network. By steadily losing weight, you can not only reduce your risk factors for these diseases, but you can also boost your self confidence.
Tips
Being that you are cutting your calories, you may end up getting hungry in between your meals. This can cause you to overeat at your next meal or reach for something unhealthy to satisfy your appetite. To avoid this from happening, eat small meals every two or three hours throughout the day. This will also keep your energy levels high and metabolism elevated. Have your first meal as soon as you wake up.
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