After the rush of holiday meals, it's not surprising that weight loss tops so many lists of New Year's resolutions. According to the American Heart Association, losing a few pounds not only helps you start the year looking great; it can also lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, "bad" cholesterol, diabetes, certain types of cancer, sleep apnea, asthma and arthritis. Instead of spending money on diet pills and fitness gimmicks, make it your goal to lose weight safely and efficiently by making a few changes in your lifestyle.
How You Lose Weight
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute explains weight loss in terms of "energy balance," the number of calories consumed through food and beverages ("energy in") vs. the number of calories burned through physical activity ("energy out"). To lose weight, you need to either burn more calories, consume fewer calories or a combination of both for faster results. Take advantage of LIVESTRONG's "The Daily Plate" tool to help you calculate your caloric needs.
Weight Loss Myths
As you plan your weight loss strategy, you need to be aware of bad advice that you will sometimes hear from family and friends or read online. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), it does not matter if you eat at a particular time of day, combine food groups, skip meals, schedule more frequent meals, consume "super foods" or avoid your favorite foods. In fact, some of these "tips" can actually end up causing you to gain weight.
Losing Weight Through Diet
Research findings from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) reveal that 98 percent of people who have achieved a sustained weight loss (a 30-pound loss for at least one year) modified their food intake to lose weight. ACE recommends choosing low-fat food choices and reducing food portions by 10 to 15 percent consistently throughout the week.
Losing Weight Through Exercise
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults do a minimum of two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. However, 90 percent of those surveyed through the NWCR report exercising an average of one hour each day. Frequency and duration of activity appear to play a larger role than intensity. Exercise does tend to increase hunger, so be careful not to let your workout go to waste by following it up with excess calories.
Get Enough Sleep
Maintaining your body's energy balance can help you lose weight, but you also need other factors that could sabotage your efforts. A study conducted by Stanford and the University of Wisconsin in 2004 found a correlation between body fat and sleep patterns--participants who slept the fewest hours each night weighed the most. The researchers concluded that fluctuations in hormones ghrelin and leptin caused by a lack of sleep led to overeating during the day.
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