Ten tips for healthy weight loss

Healthy weight loss can be a long uphill battle that gets more difficult as we age. We’re surrounded by magic diets that promise fast weight loss with a single radical change.  Problem is any weight we lose always seems to return. Sometimes with a vengeance.

As middle age hits weight loss sometimes seems impossible. The decline in metabolic rate means those pounds stay put, and it takes a lot of work to get them off even though you know very well that being over weight and over forty is not a good combination.

And don’t forget the impact on your looks.  Being overweight is one of the single most aging things that can happen to you. Losing weight can make you look years younger. The secret to healthy weight loss is really no secret at all, just a simple mathematical fact. You have to expend more energy than you take in to lose weight. Simple to say - but can be hard to do.  Here’s ten practical tips to get you started:

Control what you eat, and combine this with exercise. You probably could have worked that one out for yourself.  But you have to keep repeating it over and over in the months ahead.  Weight loss happens when you eat less than you put out as energy.  Physical activity boosts your faltering metabolism, causing you to lose more weight, more quickly than dieting alone.

Aim for permanent weight loss You are making a lifestyle change, not going on a temporary diet. Temporary diets always fail.  If you make a big change with the intent of losing a lot of weight, then go back to your old habits, you’ll find the pounds creeping back. When you aim for permanent weight loss - you’ll change your long term habits for good.

Read food labels. You should know what’s in the food that you’re putting in your mouth. Check both the ingredients list and the nutritional facts, especially the serving sizes.

Tell your family of your weight loss plans. They should know what you’re doing so that they can help support you. Tell them when you’ve reached a weight loss goal so that they can share your happiness.

Go public about your intended weight loss.  It’s much more difficult to quit if everyone knows what you said you would do.

Find an exercise program that works for you. Exercise that you hate will be harder to do, so if you prefer walking to the gym, take a stroll. Make sure your exercise isn’t a chore to do.

Combine exercise with music to help you lose weight. Music can help you zone out and get moving without concentrating or thinking about the repetitive nature of the exercise.

Eat half size first helpings. Put only half what you think you need to eat on your plate to start.  Wait 20 minutes after you finish before getting second helpings.  Your body takes around this time to send messages to the brain that you’re full.  Give your brain time to catch up!

Use a smaller plate. Self-deception - but it works!  Using a small plate means that a full sized portion just looks gross - you’ll feel you’re eating more than you are and you’ll be able to make do with less more easily.

Set realistic weight loss goals. Achieving healthy weight loss means losing no more than about two pounds a week. Telling yourself you will lose ten pounds in three months is more attainable than saying you’ll lose a hundred this year.

Whatever you do - don’t allow yourself to be discouraged.  Some of your freinds and family may actually not want you to succeed where perhaps they failed.

Just remember if you’re carrying extra pounds - healthy weight loss is your surest ever method of looking younger and feeling better - permanently!

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