Weight Management
Real weight loss requires real effort and a commitment to change long term. If you're serious about losing weight the following information and tips can help you lose the weight and keep it off for good!
Calories are King!
When it comes to weight loss, calories rule. To maintain your weight your caloric intake needs to balance your output. To lose weight your energy intake or caloric intake needs to be less than your output.
Your calorie needs are influenced by different factors including, gender, age, activity level and goal. If you want to lose weight your calorie needs are going to be less than if you want to maintain or gain weight. Pregnancy and lactation also impact your calorie or energy needs.
How to Create a Calorie Deficit
To lose weight you need to create a caloric deficit. You can do this in a few different ways. You can burn more calories than you consume through activity, you can create a deficit by cutting your calorie intake or you can combine both strategies. In general it is recommended that you become more active and reduce your calorie intake to lose and sustain weight loss.
To lose one pound of weight you must create a deficit of 3,500 calories. Try to think about it one day at a time to avoid becoming overwhelmed. If you cut 250 calories from your daily diet you can lose 1/2 pound per week. If you cut 500 calories from your daily diet you can lose one pound per week. Add regular activity on top of your reduced calorie diet and you can lose between one and two pounds each week.
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Set SMART Goals
Setting goals and tracking your progress are essential steps to successfully losing and sustaining weight loss. Set SMART goals or goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timed.
Here's an example: Instead of "fit into the jeans I wore in high school" (not timed and probably not realistic) a SMART goal could be "lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks" (specific, attainable, realistic and timed).
So what should my goal be and what's a realistic rate of weight loss? Leading health organizations such as the National Institute of Health recommend losing no more than 1/2 to 2 pounds per week. This might not sound like a lot but if you lose one pound per week over a year's time you would lose 52 pounds!
Try setting mini goals. Here's an example: Instead of "lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks" try "lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks." Then when you've accomplished your mini goal set another one. This technique helps you stay motivated. You'll be able to look back at what you've accomplished instead of focusing on how much farther you have to go.
Once you've set your SMART goal you can shift focus to the action plan. An action plan is essentially how you are going to accomplish your goal. You want to be as specific and realistic as possible when creating your plan. Here's an example: Instead of "Work out with my wife and stop eating lunch out" (Not specific enough and may not be realistic). Try "Walk after work with my wife for 45 minutes four times per week, Eat lunch out only once per week and pack my lunch the other four days."
Download the SMART Goal Sheet (PDF) and create your own SMART goal and action plan.
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Strategies to Help you Succeed
Remember, we are all unique, so not every strategy that is discussed may be the right one for you.
- Keep a food journal. The simple act of writing down what and how much you eat helps you stay accountable and avoid mindless eating.
- Manage emotional eating. Emotional eating can sabotage your weight loss efforts. Develop a list of alternative activities you can participate in when the urge to emotionally eat strikes (e.g. going for a walk, calling a friend, leaving the scene).
- Don't eliminate your favorite foods or whole food groups. Eliminating your favorite foods can leave you feeling deprived and cause you to overeat later. Instead incorporate smart portions such as a fun size candy bar instead of a king sized bar or less potent alternatives (e.g. have a fudgsicle instead of slab of fudge). Deleting whole food groups from your diet can cause you to miss out on important and even essential nutrients.
- Practice proper portion control. If you're consuming too many calories, even if the calories are coming from healthy foods, the potential for weight gain is real. Read labels and then measure your portions to see how many calories you are consuming. What does a half cup of ice cream look like? How many servings of cereal do I usually pour into my bowl? Measure and see!
- Decide what low-fat or low-calorie products you can substitute for full fat ones. Low-fat sour cream, cream cheese and mayonnaise have far fewer calories and don't taste much different than their full fat counterparts.
- Avoid the all-or-nothing mentality. So you don't have time to drive to the gym and attend a one hour aerobic class, but do you have time to go for a 20 minute walk after dinner?
- Try the Idaho Plate method. This method emphasizes fruits and vegetables and helps you control portions and calorie intake. Using a 9 inch plate, divide your plate into fourths. Half of your plate should be low carbohydrate vegetables. One fourth of your plate should be a lean protein choice and one fourth of your plate should be a starch choice. Round out the meal with 8 ounces of low-fat milk and a serving of fruit.
- Set yourself up to succeed! Pack your gym bag the night before. Prepare or plan your meals ahead of time, so you're not tempted to hit the drive thru.
- Find the support you need. Enlist family, friends and/or co-workers to help support you in your weight loss efforts. Or try attending a weight loss class or support group such as Weight Watchers for follow up and guidance.
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