Why is
weight loss important?
Maintenance of a
healthy body weight is important for maintaining both physical and emotional
well-being and preventing disease. Excess weight and obesity have been
associated with an increased risk for numerous medical conditions, including
·
high blood
pressure,
·
stroke,
·
diabetes,
·
osteoarthritis,
·
some types of cancers,
·
sleep apnea,
·
And elevated blood
cholesterol levels.
It should be noted
that reduction in weight for those who are overweight can make a major impact
on the conditions listed above. Many overweight people also report improved
mood, increased in self-esteem and motivation, and feeling healthier in general
after they have lost weight.
7 tips for
successful weight loss
1.
The desire to lose weight must
come from the individual. If you're truly ambivalent about making changes in your
lifestyle or are doing this to please someone else, you're likely to fail. When
making changes, decide what's right for your lifestyle. Your best friend's diet
and exercise plan may be completely wrong for your habits and interests. The
key is to find a system that works for you.
2.
Don't blame yourself if you
aren't perfect. If you once fail at your attempt to
curtail your overeating, it doesn't mean you are a failure at weight control
and that you should just give up. Accept that you made a poor choice, but don't
let that poor choice influence the rest of your plan. The same holds true with
exercise. Skipping a few workouts doesn't mean you can't get back on track.
Weight control does not involve making perfect choices all the time; rather
it's about attempting to make good choices more often than poor ones.
3.
Avoid surroundings where you
know you're tempted to make poor food choices. Everyone has a time when we're
most likely to overeat, whether it's the morning coffee break or after-work
gathering with friends. Try to plan other activities or distractions for those
times, or plan in advance how you're going to handle them and stick to it.
4.
Surround yourself with people
who support your efforts. Even our good friends can knowingly or unknowingly
sabotage weight-loss attempts. Spend time with those people who will not
pressure you to make poor food choices.
5.
Decide on some nonfood rewards
for yourself when you reach interim goals. For examples,
at the end of the first week of healthy eating or after the first 5 pounds
lost, buy yourself a new DVD or book.
6.
Stock your pantry and
refrigerator with healthy foods. Get rid of the high-calorie, low-nutrition snacks like
chips and candy. But don't forget to have plenty of healthier options available
as well, such as popcorn (hold the butter, try Parmesan cheese sprinkles),
low-fat cheese and yogurt, fruit, instant cocoa without added sugar, sugar-free
popsicles or puddings, or whatever appeals to you when you're hungry for a
snack.
7.
Set small goals and focus on
these rather than the "big picture." Decide where you want to be in a week or in a month,
rather than focusing on the total amount of weight you'd like to lose.
: REFERENCE
Uwaifo, Gabriel I., and Elif Arioglu. "Obesity." eMedicine.com. Dec.
8, 2010
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