Weight Loss - Sustained Success through Simple Steps

Weight Loss ? Basic Lessons for Sustained Success

Weight loss is a goal for many people today, but cutting through all the hype and getting quality information can be difficult. This article will give you information on your metabolism, nutrition, and exercise that you can use to evaluate weight loss programs that you may be considering, or to create your own. For healthy, effective, and sustained weight loss, you need to learn some basics about how your body's metabolism works.

Your Body Does Basic Math

One of the most important factors that directly impacts weight loss is a concept called "energy balance." Quite simply, this is a measure of whether a person has eaten more calories than they burned that day, or vice versa. Because of all the scientific jargon, it can be baffling to read detailed descriptions of how your body and metabolism work. But when it comes to weight loss, all you need to know is that your metabolism does basic math ? addition and subtraction; calories eaten and calories burned.

  • Neutral energy balance ? eating the same number of calories as you burn every day
  • Positive energy balance ? eating more calories than you burn every day
  • Negative energy balance ? eating fewer calories than you burn every day

In order to begin healthy, effective weight loss, you need to achieve negative energy balance. There are two primary ways to do this ? daily diet and exercise. We'll take a closer look at each very shortly.

However, it is important to note that most people who are aiming for moderate weight loss should not tip the scales too drastically into negative energy balance. For instance, if your daily activities result in 2000 calories burned per day, restricting your calorie intake to 800 calories per day would be excessive. You would lose weight, but probably not in the way you intended. Your body would see this drastic calorie restriction as starvation, and would begin hoarding body fat and burning muscle, in addition to losing valuable fluids and electrolytes, which is exactly the opposite of what you are hoping to achieve.

If you are at neutral energy balance and have moderate weight loss goals, then a calorie restriction of 500 calories per day will produce healthy, gradual weight loss. Be sure to consult your physician regarding appropriate levels of calorie restriction and activity if your weight loss goals are very aggressive.

Nutrition

There are two main factors that you should consider when evaluating your daily diet ? total calories and composition. The term "total calories" is as simple as it sounds - the number of calories you have consumed in a given day. If you're already mindful of the total quantity of food you eat each day, and are good at estimating serving sizes, you're in a good position to determine where your current energy balance is, and monitor it as you progress. If not, it can be useful to purchase an inexpensive kitchen scale to get a better idea of how big a serving that you consider "average" really is. You need to know how many calories you're eating on a daily basis in order to know where you can make improvements.

The composition of your diet is also very important. With all the competing diet programs out there, it can be difficult to separate the science from the hype. The guidelines in the USDA's new food pyramid, called MyPyramid, are very helpful in identifying good food choices ? whole grain carbohydrates instead of processed carbs (whole wheat bread rather than white), lean instead of high-fat protein sources (chicken instead of prime rib), and healthy sources of fat (olive oil instead of Crisco). These guidelines will serve you well in formulating a daily diet that will keep you well-nourished with sustained energy levels and feeling your best over the long term.

Again, if working all the specifics out on your own seems difficult, there are high-quality programs available that help you specify meal composition, serving size, timing of meals and snacks, and even provide you with a shopping list. These programs can be helpful and convenient, but they are not absolutely necessary to achieve your weight loss goals.

Exercise

Exercise is a very important component of any well-balanced weight loss program. In its Guidelines for Healthy Aerobic Activity, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 to 45 minutes of moderate aerobic activity performed 3 to 5 times per week. This can be as simple as taking a brisk walk through your neighborhood.

With this as a "base" of aerobic activity, weight training can be an excellent way to burn more calories and encourage development of lean muscle tissue, which burns additional calories even when you're sleeping! However, it's important to get qualified instruction in how to perform weight training in order to ensure that you are performing the exercises correctly, and not putting yourself at risk of injury.

Another key element in the exercise equation is moderation. If you haven't worked out in a year, you should not set a goal of running for an hour a day, five days a week. Begin moderately and allow your body to become accustomed to this new routine. When you're used to walking briskly for 30 minutes three days per week, consider increasing to four days per week, and so forth.

Regardless of what specific kind of exercise you choose, if you perform it safely, moderately, and most important, regularly, you will be in a much better position to achieve your weight loss goals. Remember, the goal is negative energy balance and exercise is another tool to get you there. If your daily goal is a 500 calorie negative energy balance, it can be much more pleasant to exercise 200 calories away, and only have to restrict your diet by 300 calories.

Conclusion

Successfully combining a healthy diet and exercise program is the best way to achieve and sustain your weight-loss goals. A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 stored calories. Using the above example of a 500 calorie negative energy balance, over the course of a week you would lose approximately one pound, for a total of around 4 pounds per month. Experts agree that this is a healthy rate of weight loss. More importantly, by taking a gradual approach, you are teaching yourself something far more important, which is behavior modification.

Crash diets may promise that you will lose five pounds a week, but if you revert to the same patterns of behavior that you were accustomed to before you started your diet, you'll gain the weight right back. No one becomes overweight overnight, so you shouldn't expect to lose the weight overnight either. Allow your body to become accustomed to healthy new habits, so you can sustain your success over the long term.

Liz Smith writes about weight loss programs and diets for thedietchannel.com

Liz Smith is the Editor-in-Chief of Trouve Publishing.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Resolve + Enthusiasm = Power

Think for a moment about the highest mountain you ever... Read More

Confessions From A Fat Doctor

I never intended to get fat! I am not exactly... Read More

The Hated Cellulite Cure That Works

Cellulite is not a medical condition or an aesthetic mutiny... Read More

Personalized Weight Loss Plans -- Breaking the Yo-Yo Cycle of Failed Diets

Dieting will continue to fail most dieters, unless personalized weight... Read More

The Maharishi Ayurveda Approach to Weight Loss

5 Easy Steps to A Healthier WeightAlthough different people have... Read More

Milk: The Weight Loss Drug

Lose Weight - Grab A GlassIn childhood, we heard it:... Read More

Preventing Overweight and Obesity ? Are You Responsible Enough?

Obesity is now assuming epidemic proportions. Worldwide there are over... Read More

Pathological Eating Disorders and Poly-Behavioral Addiction

When considering that pathological eating disorders and their related diseases... Read More

Fitness Resolutions

The holidays are now officially over and it's time to... Read More

Healthy Supplements Make Diet Pills Obsolete!

Diet PillsTaking diet pills is definitely not an effective weight... Read More

Weight Loss Information -- Setting Effective Goals

Weight loss information is often confusing and misleading. The more... Read More

How We Rescued Our Child from Anorexia, Effecting a Complete Recovery in Just Six Months

In March 2003 our then 13 year old daughter, Helen,... Read More

Push a Button to Lose Weight

Trash Your TV! is pleased to announce the easiest weight... Read More

WLS Patients Take Too Long to Order Food: What?s That About?

Families who dine out with their loved ones who've had... Read More

Fat Acceptance

With tons of information out there on "Fat Acceptance" does... Read More

Weight Loss Through the Right Natural Food

At its most basic, dieting is about burning more calories... Read More

Avoid These Five Common Weight Loss Mistakes

Mistake 1: Not changing your calorie plan as you lose... Read More

How To Lose Weight Without Having To Starve Yourself

I am somebody who has had an ongoing battle with... Read More

Weight Loss Secrets from Hollywood Movie Stars ? LA Personal Trainer Speaks Out!

In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work... Read More

Fat Burners: The Shocking Truth

Fat Burners refer to the hundreds of products on the... Read More

A Personal Trainers...Holidaze

Rules of day to day no longer apply as you... Read More

Top Thirty Weight Loss Tips and Tricks

Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started,... Read More

Walk Your Way to Weight Loss

"The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of... Read More

When Cellulite Attacks!

Cellulite is a recent addition to the English language. In... Read More

Acupuncture Weight Loss? Plus 5 Step Weight Loss Plan

I remember back in my senior year of high school... Read More

Three Steps to Achieving Your Health Goals

We all have aspects of health we want to improve.... Read More

Hold The Onions: Your Liver and Its Importance In Fighting the Battle of the Bulge

Hold the onions! Let's talk "liver". No, not beef liver,... Read More

Atkins Diet Plan - Whats The Catch

The Atkins diet Plan breakfast can usually composed of eggs... Read More

Diet Soda: New Study Shows Relationship Between Diet Soda and Weight Gain

A very interesting story was reported recently by WebMD.com. A... Read More

Top 10 Weight Loss and Fitness Myths

WARNING: Don't weight train until after you've lost weight! No,... Read More

Taking Control of Your Subconscious for Permanent Weight Loss

From the moment of birth your first emotional experiences establish... Read More

One Change Can Make All The Difference

Ever wondered why some people manage to keep their weight... Read More

A Holistic Approach to Weight loss & Fitness

World Health Organization has observed that obesity has now reached... Read More