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Healthy Ways to Lose Weight — and Keep It Off
Try these six stay-sane weight-loss strategies.
Knowing that bikini (or, at the very least, tank-top) season is just around the corner can be the motivation you need to meet your weight-loss goals. Check out these effective — and healthy — tactics for dropping pounds.
Set reasonable goals. Don’t lose weight too fast. If you do, you’ll shed more muscle and water weight than fat. “Those who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off don’t lose more than two pounds a week,” says Felicia Stoler, DCN, MS, RD, FACSM, a nutritionist and exercise physiologist in Holmdel, N.J. That may not sound like much, but in six weeks, it will add up to a dress size.
Don’t starve yourself. Keep eating regular, balanced meals while dieting. “The main trick to feeling full is not skipping meals — that way you will feel comfortable throughout the day and avoid getting too hungry,” says Cathy Leman, a registered dietitian in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Make sure to eat at least 1,200 calories a day; and keep hunger at bay with fruits and vegetables, no-calorie fluids such as tea and water, and Slim·Fast® shakes and bars, which keep you feeling full for up to four hours.
Choose healthy snacks. Snacks can be a dieter’s friend, as they keep you from getting too hungry between meals. The key is to pick nutritionally balanced snacks. “A mix of protein, carbs and fat will meet nutrient needs,” Leman says. Protein helps to even out blood sugar levels, and carbohydrates and fats — the good ones from such sources as nuts, olive oil and avocado — will make your snack satisfying and healthy. Think moderate portions of apples with peanut butter, low-fat cheese with whole-grain crackers or Slim·Fast® bars, which give you proteins, fiber and lipids all in one package.
Get moving. Become more active, and you’ll raise your metabolism, build muscle and burn more calories, even when you’re just sitting still. Aim to exercise at least 30 minutes every day, and remember that all activity counts, including climbing stairs, doing yard work and cleaning the house. The exercise is cumulative, so if you can’t carve out a 30-minute block of time, find three 10-minute breaks during the day to get your heart rate up. And working out with a friend will help keep you motivated.
Rest up. It may seem counterintuitive, but sleep is crucial to losing weight. You need at least seven hours each night so that your body can recharge, repair and renew itself. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body goes into stress mode, insulin isn’t produced as effectively, and the weight stays on.
Weigh in once a week — and only once. Reading those numbers on the scale can be an emotional roller coaster — one that can drive you to seek comfort in food of all things. So take a mental break and limit yourself to a weekly weigh-in. Stoler recommends getting on the scale on Friday mornings. “People tend to be better about their eating habits Monday through Friday than over the weekend,” Stoler says. But remember, those extra calories you eat on the weekend will show up on the scale the following week.
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My biggest problem is being disabled and getting the proper exercise. Eating healthy has become a lifestyle change. Now that I can no longer work, and having a husband diagnosed with diabetes and high cholesterol, (and loving to cook), I gradually made changes in the kitchen until my husband, son and I are eating an extremely healthy diet. Unfortuneately my husband is the one who fights the changes the most. I manage to sneak things into his diet that has lowered his blood sugar and cholesterol numbers significantly over the last couple years. But I digress, I am unable to put any sinificant weight on my right leg. I am unable to bend my right knee more than 30 degrees. I have RSD in that leg. It is hypersensitive to touch, temp changes, anything more than a slight breeze or a soft knit fabric causes pain. There lies my problem. I do stretching exercises, strength exercises for my arms but no real exercises. My weight gain due to inactivity and pains med was dramatic - I have managed to lose half of it due to lifestyle changes in the kitchen. I know the rest will only be due to real exercising but don't know where to go from here.
I have found eating every three hours and drinking plenty of water was the biggest help in attempting to reach my goal weight of 120. Only 3 lbs to go and I started January 1st, so I am excited!