7 easy tips for weight loss
New year, new you! Did you know that eating more often could help you in your weight loss journey? Now, please notice, we said eating more often, not more in quantity.
Losing weight and keeping it off is by no means an easy task. By some estimates, 20 percent of overweight individuals are successful in keeping off at least 10 percent of their initial body weight for a year or longer. Here are some tips to share with you to help you along your weight loss efforts.
The National Weight Control Registry identifies and investigates the characteristics of individuals who have succeeded at long-term weight loss.
Here are a few key behaviors reported that led to their ongoing success:
Follow a low calorie diet. Follow a 1,300 to 1,700 low-calorie and low-fat diet daily. You can successfully lose weight and maintain the loss by being consistent. This means that you don’t start and stop a diet, like many dieters do. Keep the consistency and you will start to see the results.
Eat more often. Eat four to five small meals daily. You should also make consistent food choices, which will ultimately encourage self-control, minimize unplanned food temptations, foster selfdiscipline and increase your ability to keep with your diet routine.
Do not skip breakfast. Always eat breakfast. Including this meal in the daily routine suppresses mid-morning hunger, promotes better glucose control and reduces excessive eating later in the day. Even if it’s a piece of fruit or a small bowl of oatmeal, don’t skip your first meal of the day!
Being active is a must. Make physical activity mandatory. The average person in the NWCR database exercises anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes per day at a moderate intensity. Daily physical activity is important for both weight management and health improvement. Finding a sustainable activity that fits your lifestyle, and making it a priority, is essential for longterm success.
Track your progress. Weigh yourself frequently. This provides a form of accountability and self-monitoring.
Limit sedentary activities. Research has connected successful weight loss over an extended period with minimal amounts of time spent watching TV. The national average time for watching TV is 28 hours per week or four hours per day. This is too much sedentary time. Ideally, try to limit TV viewing to less than 10 hours per week.
Take corrective action when weight is
regained. Do not allow even a small amount of weight gain to occur without corrective action. Obesity research shows that preventing people from regaining weight is one of the most difficult dilemmas that dieters face.
Health improvement that results from weight loss and maintenance is a commendable goal that is worth the effort required to accomplish it. Ann Caldwell and Maureen Shackelford are nutritionists and registered dietitians at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach them, call 443-481-5555.