Fitness Articles

Keys to Weight Loss

Keys to Weight Loss
There are some key points you need to understand if you are going to lose weight. The first and most important is that you are going to need to make some changes in your life. You need to look at the foods you eat, the amount of exercise you do, and other aspects of your current lifestyle. While some are more influential in one way or another they all contribute to your overall good health.

Establish Your Target Weight
What is your target weight level? How far is it from your current weight? Are you thinking of losing 5, 10, 25lbs or more? You need to figure out where you are trying to end up before you start to plan on how to get there

What's the Plan
Once you have established your goal you can start to figure out how you are going to get there. One of the most important things to do is give yourself enough time to meet your weight loss goal. Losing 15 pounds in 3 days is unsafe, unhealthy, and unrealistic, losing 15 lbs in 30 days is a realistic goal. If you are planning on losing a large amount of weight it will generally take you a longer period of time. Many diet and nutrition experts advise to losing between 1 -3 lbs per week. Your results will vary based on a large number of factors, the most important being your current fitness level.

Committing to Your Goal
Now you have a goal and a time frame you need to assess how committed you are meeting your weight loss goal. If you want to change your body you are going to need to change your lifestyle. The more committed you are to meeting your goal the more likely you are to meet you're your goal. Part of the commitment is not falling back into the bad habits that put you where you are today. It's similar to a math equation, if you want a different result you need to change the factors that make up the equation. To get off to a good start think about the unhealththy things in your lifestyle.

Out With the Bad
The most effective way to jump-start the weight loss process is to identify the least healthy factors in your life. Do you snack or eat a lot of junk food, candy or cookies? If so then you need to replace them with healthier fruits or vegetables. Maybe you watch a lot of TV and don't do any exercise? If so, you will need to introduce some form of activity. By starting with the unhealthiest things you do and changing them first you will be getting a great start on your weight loss program.

You Can't do it Alone
There are going to be days when you aren't going to be motivated to go exercise. If you have family or friends who are willing to support and help you over the trouble spots you will be ahead of the game. One of the things many people find helpful is to have a friend or family member as an exercise partner. You can help motivate each other when one of you isn't as motivated as you could be. Additionally your family or the people you live with are going to need to be supportive and understanding of the diet changes you are going to make. Only someone with a lot of will power will be able to resist the temptation of sweets and snacks when they are starting a weight loss.

Measure your Success
You need to know if you are moving towards your target weight. It's easy to become obsessive about this, I lost 1 lb yesterday, and I gained 2 lbs today. You don't need to monitor your progress that closely, every 3 to 4 days is ok once a week is better. Many people find that keeping a journal helps. You keep track of your weight exercise and most importantly what foods you eat. This will help you establish a relationship between your weight losses, overall health and the foods you eat.

Give Yourself a Reward
Set up milestone points on the path to your target weight. When you have lost 10% of the weight reward yourself. Don't undo all of your hard work though. Maybe a new book or DVD, or perhaps a movie or play. It doesn't have to be big or expensive, in fact creativity may work better.

Continuing Past Your Goal
While it's important to set a goal and strive to keep it, realize you may need to make adjustments along the way. You may not lose as much weight, as you want as quickly as you want, but as long as you are continually losing weight you are making progress and you will eventually reach your target weight. The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to lose it slowly over a longer period of time. By taking this approach you will slowly be learning the methods to leading a healthier lifestyle, and more inclined to continue to follow them.