If you are overweight or obese, shedding some pounds may help reduce your chances of developing weight-related health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer, according to MedlinePlus. However, you need to be able to maintain a healthy weight once you achieve your goal. A highly effective way to lose weight and keep it off is to make sustainable changes in your eating and exercise habits.
Goal Setting
Though you may be tempted to lose weight as fast as you can, gradual weight loss is a more effective way to maintain a healthy weight once you reach it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. Your ultimate weight-loss goal should depend on how much weight your physician recommends you lose, but your weekly weight loss shouldn't exceed 1 to 2 lbs., recommends the CDC. Since 1 lb. is equivalent to 3,500 calories, you would need to lose an average of about 500 to 1,000 calories per day through diet and exercise to lose 1 to 2 lbs. each week.
Lifelong Diet
A strict "weight-loss diet" that cuts down your portion sizes and restricts your intake of certain foods or food groups will be difficult to maintain in the long run, warns the Weight-Control Information Network, or WIN. A diet for highly effective weight loss should be one that keeps you healthy without ever causing you to feel deprived. It should emphasize plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, encourage consuming low-fat or skim milk and dairy products and include low-fat sources of protein such as fish, beans, chicken, lean cuts of meat, eggs and nuts, according to WIN. It should also be low in trans and saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.
Daily Activity
Diet alone can help you ditch the pounds, but being active on a regular basis may multiply your results. Exercising for the sake of exercising is important--the Mayo Clinic recommends that you aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each day--but committing to being more active altogether is an important lifestyle change that will help you keep the weight off. Do activities that are easy to do and that you like--walk to work, take stairs rather than an escalator, play a game of tennis with a good friend every week, join an enthusiastic dance class and do yoga to relax at the end of the day.
Considerations
If you are at an extreme weight or if you have serious health issues related to your weight, your physician may recommend that you take a medication or undergo weight-loss surgery for more effective weight loss, according to the Mayo Clinic. If the potential benefits outweigh the risks and you take your doctor's advice, you will still need to continue exercising and eating well to promote the effects of the surgery or pills.
Weight-Loss Programs
Some dieters have more success losing weight with a structured, formal weight-loss program. Keep in mind, however, that not all weight-loss programs are equally effective and some may even be harmful to your health. According to WIN, a safe and effective program should include: a reduced-calorie eating plan without forbidding specific foods, tips to increase your daily activity, a method of losing no more than an average of 2 lbs. per week and a plan to maintain the weight loss once you have reached your goal.
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