Lose Weight and Keep it Off

Obesity affects much more than an individual's appearance or self-esteem. It also affects a person's quality of life. Recently, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their findings regarding the amount of money spent by Americans on the treatment of obesity related illness--$147 billion per year.
Obese individuals experience increased chances of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The CDC's scientists also estimate that each year approximately 112, 000 deaths in the U.S. can be linked to obesity.

You have the power to preserve your health and possibly save your life. Being physically fit and a healthy weight helps you experience a better quality of life while performing daily activities. It also decreases your chances of developing chronic diseases, like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, some types of arthritis, and some cancers.

There are many ways to lose weight, but not all of them provide sustainable results. It is important that a personal weightloss plan include a balance of proper nutrition and exercise or some other type of physical activity. You can lose weight and keep it off with these 10 tips.

Increase your level of Physical Activity and Exercise

Weight loss accomplished through dieting or calorie restriction alone will likely be temporary. Permanent weight-loss requires a regimen that combines nutritionally balanced and calorie appropriate meals with physical activity and exercise.

Active people burn more calories in a given day than sedentary people. Physical activity includes household chores, washing the car, and walking the dog. Exercise changes your fat to lean muscle ratio or Body Mass Index. Muscle requires more energy to function. The more lean muscle a person carries the more calories they burn even at rest.

Eat Nutritionally Balanced Meals

Food supplies the fuel that the body needs to function properly. A certain amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals must be consumed for the body to heal, regenerate, move, and function. Although the amounts required by the body vary from day to day, there are recommended daily allowances based on the age, size, and gender of an individual. Visit MyPyramid.gov; the site offers weightloss tips and a tool to help you calculate the amount of each food group you should consume based on your age, weight and gender.

Get some running buddies.

Running buddies are people who support your weightloss efforts and share your interest in healthe and fitness. Your running buddies can literally be people that you run or exercise with in some other way. They can also be virtual. Many websites provide weightloss and fitness tips a well as forums where people can trade tips, share accomplishments and encourage one another as they work toward their weightloss goals. Some people are self-motivated, but everyone can use encouragement and guidance from time to time.

Set Goals

The desire to lose weight is the starting point, but success requires a desired destination or end result, It is recommended that the average person lose1-2 pounds per week to insure permanent weight-loss. If a person loses weight more rapidly the opposite overall effect may occur. The body may slow its metabolism and store calories as fat, because the stress caused by the sudden drop in weight kicks on the body's survival mechanisms.

Set a long term weightloss goal based on your age, height, and size. Once you hit your goal weight, set long term weight maintenance goals to keep it off.

Stay Motivated

In an ideal situation, weight-loss is part of an overall lifestyle change in the pursuit of good health. The activities and choices that set you on the path of weight-loss become part of your daily routine. You'll be learning new healthy habits to help you lose and keep off the weight, and it won't always seem easy or interesting.

To keep yourself motivated when things seem difficult, you have to do a little reflection. Are you remembering why you chose to lose weight? Have you chosen an exercise regimen that gets the job done but bores you? How can you keep your workout fun and fresh for you?

Check Your Portions

Make sure that you're consuming the appropriate portion sizes. Eating the correct portion of a food item helps you control the number of calories consumed as well. Visually, correct portion sizes may not seem like enough when you first start watching them. Try a few of these techniques to help make you meal more satisfying. Chew slowly, put your utensils down between each bite, then drink your beverage or water after you've finished your meal. In many cases, we've already gone for our second helping before our brain can send us the message that our stomach is full.

Deal with Your Cravings

Even the most disciplined weightloss pursuants get cravings. Sometimes, its just a matter of desiring a certain taste or texture of food. At other times, the craving is a legitimate signal from the body that it requires a specific nutrient. For example, a person who experiences dehydration will crave salty foods.

The good news is that cravings can be forgotten, curbed, or met which allows you to experience them without getting thrown completely off course. When a craving hits, try doing something else for a few minutes and see if it goes away. Try substituting a lower calorie option. For example if you want ice cream, have a frozen yogurt of the same or a similar flavor. If none of this does the trick, enjoy a small portion of the item that you're craving. Instead of eating a King size Snickers bar, try two of the bite size miniatures. You get all of the taste and a lot fewer calories.

Reward Yourself

When you reach a goal, reward yourself. Treat yourself to things and activities that are affirming and help you reach your goal weight. Buy yourself a new pair of walking or training sneakers. Treat yourself to a massage. Plan a day off from work and enjoy a daycation of rest and relaxation.

Drink Water

A person's body is 60%--80% water which requires that each of us drink a certain amount of water daily. Activities like breathing, perspiring, and digestion remove water from the body. Staying hydrated helps prevent fatigue and aids elimination. It also increases the metabolism and regulate appetitie.

The recommendation for the amount of water one should drink has gone through a few revisions. Some experts say drink eight, eight ounce glasses of water a day. Other experts advise us to drink as much fluid as necessary to prevent a feeling of dehydration as long as it isn't loaded with sugar. Experiment and see which approach works best for you.

Get Enough Fiber

The body requires approximately 35 grams of fiber per day to properly digest and eliminate waste products. Most people don't come close to consuming this amount of fiber daily. Increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains eaten will ensure that the appropriate amounts of dietary fiber are consumed. Fiber helps prevent the bloating that some people experience around their midsection. What goes in must come out and fiber helps make sure that all of it comes out instead of taking up residence in the walls of your intestines and colon. It sweeps the path clear.