The thought of losing weight is often overwhelming for many people. If you have lived a sedentary lifestyle, the idea of incorporating 30 to 60 minutes of exercise into your daily routine may seem unpleasant or even impossible. Additionally, if your dietary habits have not changed in years, you may have a rough time giving up sweets, soda and carbohydrates. The good news is that you can lose weight by making small changes in your lifestyle. There are several baby steps that you can take that will produce positive weight loss results.
Reduce Calories
According to ADVANCE Newsmagazine for Nurse Practitioners and Physician's Assistants, being overweight can contribute to many health problems, but you can improve your health by losing even 10 to 20 pounds. When you seriously restrict fat and calories from your diet, you are less likely to continue that type of eating pattern for the long term. Make small changes by gradually reducing your sugar and fat intake and making healthy substitutions. For example, by drinking one less can of soda each day, you can reduce your caloric intake by over 1,100 calories in one week.
Substitutions
You can slowly add healthier foods to your diet by substituting those which contain high fat and sugar for those that are higher in fiber or protein. For example, substitute baby carrots or an apple for a bag of chips as one of your snacks each day. By slowly increasing the number of substitutions you make, you may find that after several weeks, you are eating many more healthy foods and you are starting to lose weight.
Exercise
You can take baby steps toward increasing your physical activity so that you can be more successful at maintaining it. According to the AARP, adding 2,000 steps to your day is the equivalent of about 20 extra minutes of walking, which can burn up to 100 calories daily. You can make small changes in your activity levels by replacing time spent watching television with a more active form of relaxation, standing up while working at a computer or taking your dog for an extra walk each day.
Portion Size
Beyond substituting certain foods and increasing your activity levels, you can reduce your caloric intake by controlling your portion sizes. According to North Dakota State University, portion sizes at restaurants and even in family homes are much more than an average person typically needs for a meal. Try cutting your portion sizes to ½ to 2/3 of what you would normally serve yourself. If you order a meal at a restaurant and it comes as a large portion, request a takeout container at the beginning of the meal and place half of the food inside right away. You may also try eating off of salad plates, which are smaller in diameter and will hold less food.
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