If you have ever wondered what the key to successful weight loss is, you are not alone.
Weight loss and maintenance is a hard puzzle to crack. But after spending years combing the scientific literature I have what I consider to be a good solution to why some people lose weight and keep it off and others don’t.
There are three pieces of the puzzle to weight-loss success.
When people set out to lose weight, they often chose only one aspect of their lives to change. They pick a diet, they join a gym, or they buy a new bathroom scale and pledge to weigh every day. Diet, exercise, and behavior change are three complementary approaches to weight management. Can you successfully lose weight by just changing (for example) your diet? Yes, but when you add physical activity and behavior modification to the mix, you greatly increases your chances to achieve and maintain a healthier weight.
Let’s take a look each piece and see how they fit into the puzzle:
Diet: In order to lose weight you are looking to remove 500-1,000 calories a day from your diet. The biggest problem with calorie reduction is that you feel like you are losing something. The best way to achieve this reduction and not feel hungry is to eat foods that help you feel full. Low glycemic index foods are typically low in sugar and high in protein and/or fiber; the energy contained in such foods is digested and absorbed more slowly, which helps manage hunger and energy levels. Make sure when you cut calories that you are still giving your body the nutrition it needs; I like adding veggies and fruit to a protein smoothie for breakfast as part of my plan. A good multivitamin is another way to make certain you aren’t missing essential nutrients.
Physical activity: Exercise–in the broad sense of physical movement–really should be a lifelong habit. Maintaining your weight loss may very well be impossible without some form of exercise. Activities of daily living—like walking the dog–count; finding ways to take more steps each day is another good place to start. Resistance exercise is also important; it helps maintain muscle mass during weight loss, and that keeps your metabolism up. Recent research suggests that how hard you exercise matters, so pick up the intensity as you adapt to an exercise routine.
Behavior modification: When you think about it, we are all a collection of habits and our habits influence what we weigh. Behavior modification means changing what you are doing towards more healthy habits. Experts agree that setting goals, self-monitoring, and learning to deal with your specific challenges all contribute to adopting healthy habits.
On your path to losing weight, you are going to run into many challenges, but it doesn’t have to be that hard. Making small positive changes that you can stick with put you on the path to success. What small changes will you make? Share them in the comments section below.
Info thanks to Shaklee Health Wise Blog
Have a healthy and productive day!
MJ
Shaklee 180 is a prefect fit for natural clinically proven weight loss! See the difference at: http://weightloss180.com
No comments:
Post a Comment