According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 33 percent of American adults are obese. The health complications resulting from obesity include the leading causes of death such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle correlate with high incidence of overweight and obesity. Losing extra pounds is a big step in healthy living, but you can sustain your results, improve your health and reduce your risk of preventable disease with a lifetime routine of healthy diet and regular exercise.
Step 1
Visit your physician for a routine physical health exam. A health exam can help you learn the areas you need to improve regarding physical health status, including blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, which are all manageable with diet and exercise. Discuss your health goals and lose extra pounds as directed by your physician.
Step 2
Set long-term health goals. Realistic long-term health goals such as staying at a healthy weight, getting a clean bill of health at yearly exams and maintaining a general sense of wellness about your body are accomplished by following through with short-term tasks. Establish a routine initially by eating only the calories you need per day and following through with regular exercise.
Step 3
Start tracking your daily calorie consumption and those burned from exercise by keeping a food and fitness journal. You stay at a healthy weight by balancing the calories you consume with those you burn each day. You gain weight by consistently eating more calories than you burn, and you lose weight by burning more calories than you eat. A journal can help you visualize in writing what goes in with what is expended. If you recognize a pattern of more calories consumed from those burned, you can adjust your eating habits to regain balance.
Step 4
Write a grocery list each week and take it with you when you shop. A list can help you maintain your dietary goals, particularly if you buy only what is on the list. Healthy foods to help you maintain your daily calorie needs include fresh produce, whole grains and lean sources of protein. A healthy diet for life emphasizes nutrient-rich foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Step 5
Plan your meals ahead of time so you limit your consumption of convenience meals and avoid excess consumption of fast food, greasy fried food and high-fat foods. You may live a busy life and need to stop on occasion for convenience foods, but avoid choosing those foods that are high in saturated fats such as greasy burgers and fried foods. Prepare lunches and snacks at home and take them with you to limit your visits to fast-food restaurants. If you must eat fast food, choose salads and baked options instead of fatty fried foods.
Step 6
Create a weekly exercise plan that fits in with your family and work life. Plan to exercise most days of the week. Exercise for 30 minutes a day at least five times a week or for one hour a day three times a week. Routine exercise strengthens your heart, burns extra calories and helps keep your weight manageable. Go for a walk, ride a bike, work out at the gym or try various exercises in your weekly workouts to maintain health.
Step 7
Cut back on drinking high-calorie, sweetened and alcoholic beverages. Stick with water as your main source of hydration. It is calorie-free and helps quench your thirst plus limits your hunger. The occasional alcoholic beverage is not harmful, but drinking more than two beverages a day can add calories and increase your risk of health problems. Sodas and sugar-filled drinks may be hard to cut out of your diet completely, but reduce your consumption to a few times a week instead of daily to help you improve your diet for life.
Tips and Warnings
- If you are overweight, aim to lose weight by reducing your caloric intake from food and beginning a daily program of exercise. Once you achieve the desired weight loss, you can then begin a maintenance plan for staying at a healthy weight with diet and exercise. Eat smaller meal portions and snacks in between to stay energized throughout the day and prevent binge eating during meals. Packaged, processed, refined and preserved foods are higher in calories and often have more fat, sugar and sodium than you need to consume per serving.
- Excess consumption of foods high in saturated fat and fatty meats high in cholesterol is associated with increased risk of heart disease.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Weight Loss; 6 Strategies For Success; December 18, 2010
- Cleveland Clinic: How to Manage Your Weight
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Balance Food and Activity
- UCSF Medical Center: Healthy Snack Ideas
- Smallstep.gov: Portion Control
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adult Obesity
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