The most sensible approach to weight loss is remembering that slow and steady wins the race. It's not easy, but even if it seems reaching your weight loss goal is in the far-off future, think of lifestyle and health changes as a journey of discovery and learning. Don't just focus on the end result of fitting into a smaller size of jeans. Celebrate every step along the way.
Weight Loss Strategies
Everyone has opinions on how to lose weight – everything from Pilates to supplements to sleeping sans pajamas has been touted as an effective weight loss strategy. It's all about discovering what works for you. For some people, the community support found on social media or in support groups for weight loss is an effective tool, while others benefit from the tried and true method of working up a daily sweat. Whatever strategy you choose, the key is finding something that you can stick with that works for your lifestyle.
Recently Answered
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Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsSee All 2 AnswersStay active throughout your day! Research shows that regular physical activity is associated with a healthier body weight. Some individuals may need to devote 45 minutes or more in moderate-intensity activities daily to prevent overweight or to aid in weight loss for those who need to lose weight. Regular physical activity can also displace sedentary activity such as watching TV, which can also lead to mindless snacking.
A way to assess if you are incorporating enough physical activity into your day is to count your steps with a pedometer. Research suggests that accumulating 10,000 steps daily, which is the equivalent of walking 5 miles, can help reduce the risk of becoming overweight.
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See All 6 Answers"All or none" mindset
Many people in life (not just weight loss endeavors) adopt and hold true to the mindset of PERFECTIONISM or "All or None." This mindset shows itself in numerous ways, but most often, it rears its ugly head during conflict.Many clients I have had are OK as long as everything is going well. Their choices are sound, their thinking is pure and their mood is good. However, as soon as one area of life causes stress this creates a spiral of negative thinking and their mindset goes from "I am in control" to "This isn't working, I quit!” The stress could be a work conflict or poor food choice or a missed exercise session.
This "All or None" mindset makes it increasingly difficult to attain and maintain success because the thought process relies on Perfection.
A better plan is to understand that negative situations happen to everyone and will happen to you on occasion. Learn to handle stress with proper perspective and gain the ability to understand that every choice counts towards achieving your goal or delaying it.
Failing to plan
A second pitfall I often see is that many people do not plan their meals and workouts. Many people wait for motivation to strike before they act. This is the exact opposite of what needs to be done to gain success.You must schedule your workouts as a "non-negotiable priority" and attend these important appointments with yourself.
You must plan and schedule your meals in advance. If you wait until you get hungry to think about what you are going to eat you increase your risk of making poor food choices and eating items that are not in your plan. This may lead to a loss of control (see "All or None").
Lacking consistency
Often, individuals begin a plan when they become distressed about their health, appearance and/or fitness levels. They make multiple drastic changes at once in an all-out effort to achieve as much as possible as quickly as possible. Generally, repeating mistakes from their recent past.When you attempt to accomplish too much at once in addition to the busy schedule you may already have you can become overwhelmed and may cease a few of the more important acts of attaining your goal.
Consistency is accomplished by placing priority on the actions that are most vital for your desired outcome and continuing these actions. You cannot get to your goals with a "tomorrow" attitude.
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See All 4 AnswersWhen choosing a friend to help with your weight loss efforts, seek out the friend who is supportive, non-judgmental and has your best interest at heart. You may also benefit from a friend who has goals like yours and who's already motivated. You can hold each other accountable.
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See All 5 AnswersFirst, have a clear understanding of the changes you need to make. Sharecare is an ideal platform to educate your family on what "healthy habits" really are.
Second, Prepare for Success. Clean out the pantry and the fridge, and make a grocery store run. You can't eat what you don't have. Be sure to include the whole family in this process!
Third, When you fall, pick yourself up and start back on the right road. You will fall but that is part of the learning process.
The healthy road less traveled is challenging at times, but the destination is a life changing experience.
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Dr. Daniel R. Spogen, MD , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family MedicineSee All 2 AnswersThere are a number of things to keep in mind while you practice intermittent fasting, which is defined as cycles of eating alternating with cycles of not eating. Intermittent fasting can be done in a variety of different ways, with every other day fasting, whole day fasting or time specific fasting. Some things to keep in mind during intermittent fasting include the following:
- It is important to stay well hydrated, even while fasting.
- Smaller, more frequent meals are recommended over large infrequent meals (as may be the temptation in intermittent fasting).
- If you are diabetic, it may not be safe to fast for extended periods of time and you may want to discuss duration of fast or need to check blood glucose levels with your doctor.
- If you are pregnant and otherwise healthy, it may be safe to fast for 12 hours, but a discussion with your doctor would be highly recommended.
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Dr. Daniel R. Spogen, MD , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family MedicineSee All 2 Answers
Intermittent fasting (IF) can certainly help with weight loss. Weight loss is dependent on a balance between calories burned and calories consumed. However, intermittent fasting in the abscence of a healthy baseline dietary and exercise regimen will achieve less than optimal results in regards to long term health.
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1 AnswerA
UCLA Health answeredThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several medications for weight loss. The idea is that if you can lose about 5% to 10% of your weight, insulin sensitivity is improved, thus decreasing your risk for diabetes and improving your cardiovascular risk factors. These medications are approved for people with a BMI of ≥30, or ≥27 and some other obesity-related illness like high blood pressure or diabetes. -
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UCLA Health answeredThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a number of weight loss medications, including:
- lorcaserin (Belviq)
- phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia)
- naltrexone /bupropion (Contrave)
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