Realistic Tips for Successful Weight Loss

There is a famous adage that goes -what we eat is who we are. In many ways it is true. Few generations ago obesity was never an issue. The reason was because the foods that were consumed were more organic, prepared fresh at home and easy to digest with no additives or preservatives. The high point of the evening was looking forward to freshly cooked dinner. The picture of a family gathered around the dinner table, eating freshly cooked food, conversing and enjoying the meal comes to mind.

Fast forward to now, frozen meal, fast food, finger foods (variety of chips etc), are the popular choices. All of these choices are heavy in preservatives, toxic additives, high doses of sugar and fat, which, when eaten in large quantities can cause obesity and other chronic ailments like – high blood pressure, diabetes, heart issues, certain types of cancer etc. The fast pace of life and long sedentary hours of work has shifted us from consuming fresh home meals to meals prepared at super markets or fast food restaurants. Typically these meals have high caloric content but low nutritional value, making it one of the main causes of obesity. According to the World Health Organization, obesity has tripled since 1975. Overall, about 13% of the world’s adult population (11% of men and 15% of women) were obese in 2016. So obesity has become a global problem. Because obesity triggers other ailments, taking care of it through diet and exercise is a fantastic start to losing weight as well as paving the way to potentially curing other obesity triggered ailments.

The best place to start is with diet and exercise. Whole foods like – fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains gives the much needed nutrition and nourishment. Adding exercise like walking, getting fresh air and sunshine will do wonders to the entire system. Below are a few tips for successful weight loss.

1) Make a commitment to keeping up the dietary changes and stick with it regardless of the temptation of the tongue. One way to do it is to not to add too many changes at one time and be overwhelmed by it. The key to successfully turning the corner is to add one thing at a time, getting comfortable with it before adding more changes.

2) If needed discuss the weight loss goals with your doctor and or personal trainer and decide how to go about achieving the desired weight loss. Setting realistic intermediate goals keeps you in charge and on track.

3) Remember that jumping on and off short term diet plans has detrimental effects on weight loss. It is very important that the changes are “life style” changes that will help keep the weight off for good. These people are called “Successful Losers” by the weight control experts who have studied them.

4) Don’t deprive yourself of the food that you enjoy. Instead reduce the portion and number of times eaten. Not only will you see results, but you will enjoy the process, which ensures that you stay happy. That in turn will reinforce your commitment to your goals.

5) Body has its own memory and remembers the current weight and can be stubborn about letting it go. Getting into fancy diets and losing weight suddenly has in many cases failed. When the body is deprived of the sugars and other types of fatty food that it is been accustomed to, the craving becomes too strong to overcome and the result is weight gain. So losing weight slowly allowing the body to gradually let go of the fat and adjusting to the dietary changes works much better over the long term. Yes it might take a few months to shed that unnecessary weight, but it will surely keep it off and the end result is a happy YOU.

So, what is the ideal weight? There isn’t one. Everyone has different metabolism and body type. Instead of looking at numbers and statistics, it is always best to be in tune with your body and be at a healthy weight that enables you to feel, look and be at your best at all times.