Before you embark on a weight loss plan, here are some useful tips to bear in mind.
1. Consult your doctor before you begin your weight loss plan – You will have a better sense of how your dieting and weight loss plan will influence your overall health. Some people are overweight because of any medical condition while some use medication that could be interfering with their weight loss attempts. It may just be that specific treatments of the medical condition or a change in the medication can make a difference in your efforts to lose weight. This is also the time for you to ask information about a dietary and exercise plan tailored to your needs.
Ask your doctor to calculate your BMI (your Body Mass Index based on your weight and height). It is an indicator of whether your weight is at health risk or not. A BMI equal to or greater than 19 and less than 25 among people aged 20 and older equals good health whereas a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered as overweight and a BMI above 30 is thought of as obese.
2. Your weight loss plan should be harmless – Ideally you should aim to reduce your calorie intake, but still consume food and drinks that contain all Daily Recommended Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, mineral, and proteins.
This also means be wary of “quick fixes,” like diet pills and supplements. They are popular but mean little when it comes to successful weight loss; they may help you lose weight in the beginning but they usually don’t help you keep it under control; they may have damaging side effects; taking these will not help you learn how to make lasting lifestyle changes in your eating and exercise habits.
3. Lose weight slowly and steadily – Unless your doctor thinks otherwise, lose weight slowly. Losing small amounts of weight (1-2 pounds) per week is more achievable and less risky.
4. Eat less – not no – fat – Losing weight is not about eating no fat at all. It’s mostly about decreasing your calorie intake, or burning certain amounts of it. The body needs fat for energy. Eating less fat and merely replacing it with large amounts of fat-free products (which have calories too) will not help you lose weight.
5. Exercise – Some form of exercise on a regular basis is important for maintaining good health irrespective of whether weight is a problem or not. You can eat right food but if you don’t exercise often, it’s not going to help with weight loss and weight maintenance in the long run. If you are slightly more adventurous, light weight training gives you more muscle tissue which burns calories faster.
6. Emotional triggers and eating – Learn to identify eating triggers (boredom, stress, anxiety, anger, for instance) and learn to respond to them without food. This is more significant to long-term weight loss and weight loss maintenance than just dieting and exercising. Keeping a food diary of triggers that hinder or interfere with weight loss can be an asset. It can provide you with self-awareness about what sorts of emotions and situations spark off bouts of uncontrollable eating or set off risky behaviors that contribute to weight gain: such as smoking or alcohol consumption. This way you’ll be able to identify where you need to make more healthful changes.
