You cannot change your life or your body overnight. It takes time to make healthy changes such as losing weight and improving health. But if you are overweight, there is no time like the present to start a weight loss plan. Losing excess pounds can reduce your risk for a number of diseases, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, hypertension and depression. Rather than looking for quick solutions for dropping excess pounds, lose weight by choosing to become healthier over the long term.
Step 1
Start your weight loss plan today rather than waiting until tomorrow. Daniel Kirschenbaum, a professor of behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Medical School, advises that you should never put off dieting until another day or you will likely fall into the trap of putting it off indefinitely. Make the commitment to change your life starting now so that you can lose weight and become healthier.
Step 2
Call your doctor to make an appointment before you begin a weight loss program. You need to receive your doctor's approval before modifying either your diet or activity level. Your health care provider can help you determine how much weight you need to lose and how much you should exercise to lose that weight.
Step 3
Ask your doctor to refer you to a dietitian for further assistance. A registered dietitian can help you identify your nutritional habits in order to spot areas where you need improvement. Your dietitian will consider your lifestyle and health before developing a weight loss plan that is customized to meet your dietary needs. Follow her advice so you can learn to eat healthy for life.
Step 4
Make yourself aware of two important figures before you begin to lose weight. Write down your current weight. You also will want to calculate your body mass index to determine if you are within a healthy weight range, slightly overweight or clinically obese. You can use these figures to help you track your progress as you work to slim down.
Step 5
Write down small goals to help jumpstart your diet. Be satisfied to lose only a few pounds in the beginning. Do not expect that you can completely change your eating habits overnight. Instead, create a realistic goal to start by eating smaller portions of food or cutting out junk food.
Step 6
Focus on becoming more active rather than on structured exercise at first. You can increase your activity level by gardening, playing sports with friends, walking, dancing or enrolling in a yoga class. It will be easier to start losing weight if you do not pressure yourself into performing intense exercise immediately.
Step 7
Add some strength training exercises with weights or resistance bands after you have become used to being more active. Include aerobic activities such as walking, jogging, cycling or swimming in your physical activity at least three times each week. Exercise for a few minutes during each session. Increase the level of exercise until you are able to maintain exercise for at least 30 minutes.
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