Good Routine For Losing Weight

If you want to lose weight, you've got company: 72 percent of the United States population reports that they have tried to shed pounds at least once, according to an article in the February 2010 issue of "Reader's Digest." However, some diets fail, perhaps because individuals don't understand that healthy, sustainable weight loss requires long-term lifestyle changes. You don't have to be a failed dieter; with a little information, you can make lifelong weight control part of your daily routine.

Count Those Calories

Weight loss is about calories. In order to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body uses to fuel your daily activities, reports MayoClinic.com. Calorie counting is an essential element of weight loss, reports Andrea Wenger Hess, a nutritionist with University of Maryland's Joslin Diabetes Center. To find out how many calories you need, use a reputable calculator, such as the Mayo Clinic's. If you don't like calorie counting on paper, there are web-based calorie counters. Also, if you own a smart phone, there are calorie-counting applications which allow you to count your calories wherever you are.

Build a Balanced Exercise Routine

Exercise is an important part of long-term weight-loss. Fortunately, exercise doesn't have to be difficult or boring. MayoClinic.com reports that any physical activity, including enjoyable pursuits such as biking or dancing, and daily chores such as raking leaves or shoveling snow, count. Whatever activity you choose, make sure to include strength training, which, reports the clinic, builds calorie-burning muscle mass.

Be Positive

An oft-overlooked aspect of weight loss is attitude. If you have a habit of telling yourself you won't succeed, you probably won't, according to Wenger-Hess. Instead, Wenger-Hess recommends telling yourself you can succeed at weight loss, surrounding yourself with helpful, supportive people, and trying not to beat yourself up if you do make mistakes and eat "bad" foods. Wenger-Hess also caution against emotional eating, and recommends developing a list of alternative things you can do to deal with stress, anger or fatigue.

Get to Bed On Time

A final overlooked aspect of weight loss is sleep. It may be tempting to spend an extra hour in the gym instead of in bed, but don't. Lack of sleep upsets the balance of the hormones that control sleep and causes problems with your metabolism, according the the American Council on Exercise. Also, reports the council, getting less than seven hours a sleep on a regular basis puts you at increased risk for serious health problems, including breast and colon cancer, heart disease and stroke.