An ability to alter lifelong attitudes toward diet and exercise may ultimately be the key to successful weight management: You must be motivated enough to change habits not for a few weeks or months, but for a lifetime. The importance of this resolve cannot be underestimated.
The desire to lose weight must come from within. A person who wants to shed 20 lbs. to please a spouse is not likely to be as motivated, or as successful, as someone whose goal is to improve health or increase self-esteem. Choosing the right time to start a weight-loss program is also important. People under stress or pressure may not be able to devote the considerable attention and effort required to make lifestyle changes that lead to weight loss.
Culled from medical research, the following weight-loss guidelines incorporate strategies employed by people who have lost weight and kept it off.
Use them in constructing a weight-loss program on your own or in addition to medical or surgical treatments.
Weight-Loss Strategy #1. Set realistic goals.
Remember that weight tables give estimates of ideal weights; you can probably be healthy at weights above “ideal” if you have a nutritious diet and exercise.
Instead of attempting to lose a specific number of pounds, make it your goal to adopt healthier eating and exercise habits.
If you are obese and feel compelled to set a weight-loss goal, losing 10% to 15% of your current body weight is a realistic objective.
The good news is that evidence shows that weight loss of as little as 5% to 10% of body weight can significantly improve heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure and blood glucose.
The safest rate of weight loss is 1/2 to 2 lbs. a week. Don’t ty to take short cuts with pills or potions that promise more than this. It is impossible and is a recipe for failure.
