Credible health experts and institutions agree, the safest, most effective way to take weight off and keep it off is with a combination of sensible dieting and exercise. You don't need to hire a dietician or personal trainer to create a comprehensive weight-loss program. Using a variety of free resources to guide you, you can create a personal diet and exercise plan that's right for you.
Considerations
Before you begin creating a diet or exercise plan, take stock of your current physical condition. Consider if you are obese, have a disease or medical condition, have not exercised before or have specific nutrient needs. These factors will guide you in choosing types of exercises and intensities of workouts, as well as your daily food needs.
Free Calorie Information
Start with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommended daily calorie number for someone of your age, gender and activity level. General recommendations include roughly 1,600 calories for inactive females and some seniors. Teen girls, active females and inactive males should eat approximately 2,200 calories daily. Teen boys and active men should eat 2,800 calories. You can download a free copy of the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Adults at the USDA website and find the exact number of recommended daily calories for you.
Beginner Exercise
If you are new to exercise, start with fat-burning exercise, done at a pace similar to brisk walking. Exercise at a pace that lets you continue for 30 minutes or more. This will help you burn calories as you build your cardio stamina and muscular endurance so you can advance to more intense aerobic exercise, which burns more calories. If you decide to continue with exercise at this pace for the duration of your weight-loss program, the American Heart Association recommends 60 minutes or more of cardio exercise on most days for weight loss. You can ride a bike, swim, walk on a treadmill or other moderately intense exercise. Build a few peaks and valleys into your exercise plans to raise and lower your heart rate.
Intermediate Exercise Plans
Once you are able to exercise at a pace similar to jogging without stopping, you can try aerobic exercise. If your schedule doesn't permit you to do 30 or 60 minutes at a time, try two, shorter workouts each day. There are many ways to create aerobic workouts without cost, including biking, jogging, calisthenics, jumping rope, aerobics and dance. You can create circuit training consisting of different exercises done for two minutes, followed by a one-minute break, then starting a new exercise for two minutes. Keep the circuit going for 30 minutes or longer. However you work out, create an exercise plan that includes a five-minute warm-up, a five-minute cool-down to gradually lower your heart rate, and stretching.
Diet Plans
The USDA's food pyramid provides you with specific numbers of servings of specific food groups to help you plan your daily calorie intake. Following the pyramid, you'll get all of the carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals you need. You can follow the Mayo Clinic's Healthy Weight pyramid, which is similar to the USDA's pyramid, but has you eat more fruits and vegetables than whole grains. The Harvard School of Public Health offers another healthy eating plan, which emphasizes physical activity and a food pyramid with more healthy fats and less red meat and refined grains, or starchy carbs.
Grazing Plan
Another way to plan your diet is to focus on when you eat, not just what you eat. Eating more often decreases hunger pangs and blood insulin responses to long fasts that lead to overeating, fat storage and weight gain, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, in her article, "Why Does Eating Breakfast Help Control Weight," at the clinic's website. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa also found that eating more frequently resulted in study participants eating fewer calories.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion: How Much are you Eating?
- American College of Sports Medicine: Basic Recommendations From ACSM and American Heart Association
- Why Does Eating Breakfast Help Control Weight?: Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
- Asian Food Information Centre: Grazing for Weight Loss; FFA Issue 17 March 2003
Member Comments