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If you are overweight, then losing weight should be done gradually, and steadily. The process should not be rushed, and one should never lose more than 10 pounds a week. This is the safest way to lose weight. There are several reasons why you weigh what you weigh.

Just to clear the air…If you’re looking to lose weight effectively you will not find a magic pill or drink that will allow you to slim down without making any serious changes in your lifestyle.

It’s sad but true! Marketers know that everyone wants to lose weight and feel great without much work on their end.

They seldom work at all or aren’t permanent in their effect. Also, they may be harmful to you too. Always ignore any such product promising you results which don’t require any effort from your part. Losing weight requires work, exercise and a health regimen, without these activities it makes it pretty difficult.

Goal Setting

People who are obese or overweight have often, instead of dieting, resorted to exercise and eating healthy foods according to the rules set down by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, who recommend eating foods with low fat and more greens in them, such as vegetables and fruits, and grains also. People, who do diet however, need direction and help in order to efficiently control their weight.

Unless and until you are seriously overweight or obese, and need to get rid of the fat immediately and fast, your strategy should always be aligned towards long term goals, which have long lasting and often permanent effects, if you follow certain basic rules.

Here are the steps someone would typically take to lose weight:

  1. Consult your physician and check whether it is at all feasible for you to lower your calorie consumption and increase the amount of physical exercise that you do.
  2. Create a balanced diet consisting of food that has very few calories in it that leads lead to losing about 4 to 5 pounds per week.

Fruits and vegetables should be eaten around 5 servings a day, and be sure to include whole grains, milk products and meat too. This is an extremely healthy diet that you can follow and is guaranteed to reduce weight. Don’t worry we go over several diets inside of the members area.

  1. Exercise or physical activity of any kind is a must if you want to lose weight. You don’t have to necessarily start off by going to the gym hardcore. You simply have to start somewhere by staying active. Try taking the stairs, instead of the elevator, or the escalator, or try parking farther and walk the distance instead.

When You Eat

Skipping meals is not the way to lose weight, as doing so can slow down your metabolism. Once again your body thinks there is a ‘famine’ and, hence, it stores food. Eat small meals, sprinkled throughout the day to keep your blood sugar levels and your metabolism steady.

Weight and Health Profile

High blood pressure, several diseases like Type 2 diabetes and coronary artery complications are some of the many fallouts of being overweight and obese. The circumference of your waist and most importantly, your body mass index are dead giveaways when it comes to knowing the amount of body fat you have, and the health risks you might run into because of it.

BMI is mostly a very dependable way of estimating body fat, especially for people between the ages of 19 and 50. Exceptions are women who are pregnant and breast feeding, bodybuilders, athletes and patients.

The health risks increase with the BMI count, and also with waist size. Sizes greater than 40 inches for men and 35 for women can prove to be serious and harmful. There are several other ways of estimating body fat other than BMI and waist size, which your doctor can help you with. Your BMI can be determined by using a chart found at healthcare centers everywhere.

Fat, Muscle and Water

Did you know that when you lose weight, you are not just losing excess fat from your body, but muscular tissue too?

There has been lots of research into this field and science has actually proved that what we get rid of is 75% of fat and 25% of muscle tissue. Another interesting fact is that we also lose A LOT of water during weight loss.

Water comprises over 75% of our body weights and also makes up a large part of fats and the substance in our muscles.

Throughout the day, your body works like a machine that burns up calories. When you are climbing up and down the stairs, walking, lifting or even typing and just about just about anything that involves movement, you are shedding calories.

As long as your calorie intake is sufficient for the energy you need to stay fit and healthy, everything will be fine. But when you consume more calories than what your body needs, you don’t burn it all up.

It gets accumulated around your waist, buttocks, thighs and neck as ugly fat. As soon as you notice fat build up, work on it. If you leave things the way they are for longer than is safe, you’ll have a hard time shedding it all later.

You have to strike a balance of correct diet and exercise. It is a combination of the two things that really makes a difference. Go on a high fiber diet and stick to it. Take at least eight to ten glasses of water each day. Your system will stay clean and clear of fats and toxins.

There you have it for the basics.

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