According to MayoClinic.com, it's not enough just to recognize your challenges, you have to plan for how you will deal with them if you're going to succeed in losing weight once and for all. Difficulty with weight loss is a common occurrence, but planning and perseverance can help you accomplish your weight loss goals.
Causes
Figure out what is causing your weight loss difficulty. Is the reason medical, genetic, a lack of exercise or consuming too many calories? If your reason is not medical or genetic, you may need to further reduce your calorie intake and burn more calories through physical activity to lose weight. Keeping a food and exercise log can help you determine the amount of calories to reduce or signal when it is time to change your workout routine.
Cutting Calories
Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, make sure that you are reducing your normal calorie intake by 500 calories per day to lose 1 lb. per week. Reducing your normal calorie consumption by 250 calories per day and increasing your physical activity to burn an additional 250 calories per day is an effective strategy to reach your calorie deficit. You can cut 250 calories out of your diet by drinking water instead of most 20 oz. regular sodas. A 185 lb. person can burn an additional 250 calories by exercising on a stair step machine for a half hour.
Exercise
Some of the factors that determine the amount of calories a person burns through exercise are the frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise performed. If you are currently exercising regularly and have trouble losing weight, you may need to increase how many days per week you exercise or the length of time you work out to increase your calorie burn. Increasing the intensity of your workouts or trying different exercises may also help you burn more calories. If you are not currently exercising while trying to lose weight, now is a good time to start.
Time Frame
Be patient with your weight loss. According to MayoClinic.com, you should aim for weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week, which equals 52 to 104 lbs. lost in a year. A slow and steady pace may not be as exciting as losing 30 lbs. in 30 days, but losing weight gradually and developing healthier habits in the process is more likely to result in permanent weight loss than a more aggressive strategy.
Considerations
Always check with your health care provider before beginning exercise or modifying your diet. If you are reducing your calorie intake and exercising regularly and still not losing weight, speak to your health care provider, a registered dietician or personal trainer for additional assistance with your weight loss.
Tips
While losing weight can be difficult, it is not impossible. Make a commitment, be aware of your portion sizes, read nutrition labels, progressively make your workouts more challenging, hold yourself accountable and don't let obstacles discourage you from reaching your weight loss goals. According to Harvard School of Public Health, people can lose weight on any diet as long as they follow it and the diet provides fewer calories than they normally take in.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Weight-loss Tip: First, make sure you're ready
- MedlinePlus: Exercise and Weight Loss
- USAToday.com: Using Food Diaries Doubles Weight Loss, Study Shows
- Harvard Health Publications: Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Different Weights
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Best Diet is the One You'll Follow
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