Six Secrets for Weight Loss Success
Employ these strategies that have been found to be the winning formulas of those in the National Weight Control Registry. The NWCR is the largest investigation of long-term, successful weight loss ever conducted. The registry has been tracking approximately 5,000 people since 1994.
1. The written word
Recording everything you put in your mouth will increase personal accountability and reveal problem areas. Adding in how you felt at each time you ate is helpful for discerning patterns of emotional eating.
2. Plan all eating ahead of time.
It’s crucial to have quick, tasty food at hand whenever you get hungry so that you aren’t faced with nothing but a selection of poor choices. Weekly planning, purchasing, and preparation is essential for success at eating healthy on a consistent basis.
3. Pay attention to portions.
Go heavy on low-calorie, highly nutritive fruits and vegetables, making them 50% of your meals. Let whole grains and lean protein make up the remainder. No foods must be forbidden, but indulgences in high-calorie goodies need to be small and infrequent.
4. Be aware of your weak points.
Do you have habits that may contribute to excess consumption such as eating while watching TV, at the movies, dining out frequently, while socializing with friends, when you feel bored or frustrated, work-site nibbling, drinking caloric beverages, and so on? Use your food intake log to identify where extra calories come in and make healthy substitutions.
5. Support strengthens your efforts.
Enlist the help of others who will encourage your efforts, especially when you’re going through tough times and feel like it’s too much work. Join a group in your locale or online such as www.SparkPeople.com. You might also ask a friend or family member to be an accountability partner.
6. Be physically active.
Find ways of including physical activities in every day, aiming for a minimum of an hour of exercise daily. Regular exercise is very important as it not only increases calorie burn, but it also prevents the loss of muscle and slowing of metabolism that otherwise accompanies weight loss in adults, especially if they’re over 40.
Additionally, employing the aid of a professional can help greatly in changing your diet and lifestyle. For example, a dietitian can help you find ways of surmounting long-term food issues while a fitness professional can aid you in getting the greatest benefit from exercise. Whenever we attempt challenging life changes, a licensed professional can be an investment that makes the difference between lasting success and that which is only temporary.
