If you eat less and exercise more, chances are good that you will lose weight. Changing your eating and exercise habits, however, can be difficult. Despite the challenges involved, losing weight is one of the best ways to improve your health. Maintaining a healthy weight helps decrease your chance of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.
Decreasing Calories
Calories are units of energy present in all foods. When you eat food that contains more calories than your body needs, your body stores the excess calories as fat. Foods contain a varying amount of calories, with foods high in sugars and fats containing the highest level of calories. Reducing the number of calories you eat every day will help you lose weight. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that you will need to eat 3,500 fewer calories to lose 1 lb. of fat in one week. Replacing your usual meals, snacks and beverages with lower calorie versions can decrease your caloric intake. Drinking water rather than soda, eating carrots instead of cookies and choosing baked, skinless chicken, rather than fried chicken can decrease your caloric intake. Reducing the portion sizes of foods you eat will also help decrease the number of calories you consume.
Considerations
Reducing the amount of food you eat and making healthier choices can leave you feeling hungry at first, which can lead to overeating. You can reduce the temptation to overeat by eating five or six small meals each day, instead of three large meals. By spacing the meals about 2 to 3 hours apart, you are less likely to feel hungry between meals.
Avoiding Emotional Eating
It's not unusual to reach for food when you are bored, anxious or sad. Unfortunately, that habit can add extra pounds, particularly when you comfort yourself with sweet or fatty foods. You can avoid emotional eating by not eating unless your stomach is truly empty. If your urge to eat is caused by a change in mood, you may find that you can find some relief by rewarding yourself with a favorite activity, such as going to a movie with a friend or taking a walk at a local park. Keeping a selection of healthy snacks available can help you reduce the calories you eat if you can't resist emotional eating.
Exercising
Exercising helps you burn excess calories that cause weight gain. Any type of exercise that uses the large muscles of your body and increases your heart rate will help you burn calories. Running, walking, swimming, bicycling and using exercise equipment can be helpful types of exercise. People who successfully maintained weight loss exercised an average of an hour or more per day, according to the American Council on Fitness. While this is the recommended amount of exercise, you may need to begin exercising for 20 or 30 minutes per day and gradually increase the length of your workout, particularly if you haven't exercised in a while.
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