Adult Weight Loss – A Challenge
FACT: Nearly two-thirds of American adults are overweight and nearly one-third of American adults are obese.
FACT: People who are obese are more likely to have cardiovascular, orthopaedic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, hormonal, neurological and metabolic diseases than someone of a healthy weight.
FACT: Every year in the United States approximately 300,000 adult deaths can be attributed to unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity.
These statistics are pretty horrifying, aren’t they? You will probably find that most people would agree with you. That is why approximately 54 million Americans, or one person out of every four, are on a diet right now. Adult weight loss is difficult to achieve – but the same can be said about anything worth achieving. The key to adult weight loss is to understand why it is a challenge to lose weight; to know that there is no miracle “weight loss cure” and fast weight loss programs, but as the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race; and to believe that with a lot of hard work, you can not only lose weight, but maintain a healthy weight for the rest of your life.
STEP ONE: Nothing Beats Good PreparationIf you are overweight or obese, it is important to realize at the very beginning that you should not focus on losing weight too much. Right now you are probably thinking, “What? That is exactly what I should be focusing on!” But this is not just about losing weight, but changing your life. You are going to need to change the way you think, the way you eat, the way you live your life and the way you feel about yourself. You need to look at how you feel now, emotionally and physically; you need to think about how you want to feel instead and establish realistic goals to achieve this. When looking at setting goals, it is important to know what you ultimately want. But it is more important to set several short-term goals that you can reach - every small weight loss is beneficial.
STEP TWO: Diet OverhaulMost health professionals agree that the most sensible way to lose weight is to eat a balanced, nutritious diet. However, before changing anything about your diet, it is advisable to speak with your doctor, or a nutritionist. You want to make sure that you do this the right way and the safe way. Weight is determined by how many calories you consume (you food intake) and how many calories you burn (through physical activity, etcetera).
When your calorie intake is less than the amount that you are burning, that is when you lose weight. However, your body reacts negatively when calories are reduced. It thinks that there is some kind of threat to your body and will try to protect itself by slowing the rate you burn your calories (your metabolism). This does make weight loss harder, so to counter your body’s defenses, make the calorie changes gradually. Learning good eating habits means you can lose weight, but also keep the weight off – you learn to live by healthy eating habits.
STEP THREE: Get PhysicalHealthy eating is all well and good, but you also need to get physical, get fit and burn those calories! First, determine what type of activity best suits your lifestyle and work your way up to regular aerobic exercise (e.g. brisk walking, jogging and swimming). Aerobic exercise is important as it works the body’s large muscles (e.g. heart) and should be moderately vigorous but not exhausting. Thirty minutes or more a day is recommended in order to burn calories, but exercise may also be able to increase your metabolic rate and decrease your appetite. The release of certain hormones while exercising also improves your sense of well-being and decreases stress.
REMEMBER: Avoid the FadsDon’t go for the quick fix, the fast weight loss methods or the magical weight loss cure. Generally fad diets do not include developing a balanced diet, claims you can “trick” your body’s metabolism into wasting calories or energy and makes dramatic claims for fast and easy weight loss. Slow and steady, common-sense and healthy behavioral changes are the way to go. Losing half to one pound per week is good, as gradual weight loss promotes long-term loss of body-fat, not just water.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is to stay motivated – weight loss depends on you, not a product or a program. If you are overweight, it is never too late to change. Do not become another scary statistic. Change your life today.