Successful weight loss boosts confidence and overall health, but the path to a lower weight often includes struggles and takes time. Finding help through the process equips you to stick with the weight-loss effort long term. A customized plan for your weight loss, based on your current weight and habits, guides the process.
Support
A supportive environment gives you a safety net as you change your diet and exercise habits. Sharing your goals, struggles and successes involves others in your weight-loss journey. The supportive people in your life provide encouragement and advice that could help you achieve success. For a more structured support system, join an organized weight-loss support group. The groups meet regularly to provide weight-loss education and support for members. Another option is a weight-loss partner who has similar goals for shedding pounds.
Goals
A goal gives you a realistic outcome to reach through your healthy habits.Goals help you break down your weight-loss plan into smaller, more manageable steps. Focusing only on your long-term final weight goal becomes overwhelming, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. Write down your goals to make them more concrete. Seeing the goals in writing reminds you of the steps necessary to achieve them. When writing goals, include a variety of goal types, such as weight goals, clothing size goals and habit goals. A habit goal example is to exercise three days of week with two additional days of strength training.
Food Substitutions
A complete transformation of the diet all at once is unrealistic and difficult to maintain. A slower approach to making your diet healthier makes the transition easier to accept and keep up long term. To get your weight loss started, make substitutions in your diet to decrease your calorie intake. A variety of grocery items include lower-fat or lower-calorie versions, like mayonnaise, salad dressing, syrup and dairy products without a major sacrifice in flavor. Instead of plain white flour products, substitute whole-wheat pasta, bread, tortillas and rolls. Ground turkey makes a lower-fat substitution for ground beef. Limiting your portion sizes along with the substitutions helps reduce your daily calories even more.
Activity
Physical activity facilitates easier weight loss due to the calories it burns. A weight-loss plan that includes exercise helps you maintain the weight loss longer. You also gain health benefits from the exercise, like a stronger heart and lungs. If you aren't currently active, get a pedometer and work to increase the number of steps you take daily. Add in other physical activities like walking, jogging, hiking, biking or strength training.
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