Weight Loss Programs That ACTUALLY WorK
How many weight loss programs have you tried? How many “How to Loss Weight” books have you bought, powdered shakes have you drank, motivational tapes have you listened to? Approximately 54 million Americans, or one person out of every four, are on a diet right now. Each year, Americans will spend around $6 billion weight loss programs, products and services. People are always searching for that fast weight loss method, that program to teach you how to loss weight the easy way.
Well, you will you won’t find one, not one that actually works anyway. But that is no reason to give up on losing weight. 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 that while there are a million so-called “weight loss cures” and fast weight loss programs, as the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. You just need to find the right program, and 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.
Finding a Weight Loss Program
Looking through magazines and picking up tips and programs from outrageously skeletal celebrities is probably not the best way to find an effective (or safe) weight loss plan. Even when looking at celebrities who are healthy and fit, remember that they have the exorbitant cash to splash on numerous personal trainers, expensive treatments and the like.
Realistically, the easiest thing to do is to consult with your doctor or a nutritionist. They can point you in the direction of the most effective, sensible and safe weight loss program and the program that is best suited to your needs.
Elements of a Good Weight Loss Program – Goal Setting
Good weight loss programs will encourage you to set goals – and realistic ones. Many will require you to set an overall goal – being your healthy weight amount; as well as many short-term goals. These short-term goals can include aiming to make changes in your diet or physical activity, like aiming to increase activity from zero hours per week to five hours per week, or eating only one small high-calorie snack per day instead of three. It may also include setting a practical amount of weight that you aim to lose each week or month. Losing half to one pound per week is good, remembering that gradual weight loss promotes long-term loss of body-fat, not just water.
Elements of a Good Weight Loss Program – Balanced Diet
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.
All good weight loss programs should encourage you to eat a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet. If you look at the My Pyramid guide, it roughly shows the food group you should be eating and in what proportions. Some programs may recommend eating six small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones.
This may help control your hunger and avoid unhealthy snacking. However, other programs allow you to choose to stick with three meals per day, and require you to prepare low-calorie snacks to avoid overeating. If these programs supply food to you, you may notice they use smaller plates for your meals, to satisfy your psychological need to see a full plate. This is a handy hint to remember when preparing your own food. Programs that teach you to prepare your own meals are considered more helpful than those that simply provide you with meals. This is because it encourages you to continue to lose or maintain your weight for the rest of your life.
Elements of a Good Weight Loss Program – Physical Activity
Your weight loss program should also encourage regular physical activity and help you determine what type of activity best suits your lifestyle and physical needs. These programs should help you to work your way up to regular aerobic exercise (e.g. brisk walking, jogging and swimming) that is moderately vigorous but not exhausting. Thirty minutes or more a day is recommended in order to burn calories, so make sure that your program is both allowing you to exercise enough, while not pushing you over the edge.
Those quick fix, fast weight loss methods and so-called “weight loss cures” generally 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.
However, research has shown that low and steady, common-sense and healthy behavioral changes are the way to go to effectively lose weight and keep it off.