How to Get Started On Your Ideal Weight Loss Program?

Health & FitnessNovember 10, 2017

Have you decided you want to lose some weight but are wondering where you can make a proper beginning? We can help you get started through tips and opinions of a number of experts. Given below are some tips for getting started on a weight loss program.

Take a Closer Look at Your Current Lifestyle

Consider your current lifestyle carefully and try to understand how you have gained the weight you don’t want.

Before you begin working on the weight loss program, it would be a good idea for you to carefully consider your current lifestyle to identify behaviors which may have contributed to the extra weight on your body. An appropriate way of doing this would be to keep a food diary in which you write a list of all the food items you are having for a few days.

This exercise will help you become aware of what you are eating and when, as mentioned by the Centers for Disease control and Prevention. Afterwards, you need to think about concrete measures on how you can change the habits you have become accustomed to. When you maintain a log, it can help you realize that when you decide to skip meals, it invariably makes you overeat later. You could also decide to indulge yourself on treats with your coworkers in office and have an extra 500 cal.

When you have a concrete plan in place, you can change your current behaviors and establish new ones. Instead of having just a single meal, you can decide to have three or four smaller meals during the day or begin having healthier foods which can keep your appetite satisfied for a longer period of time.

Set a Realistic Goal for Your Weight Loss Program

When you embark on a weight loss program, you need to set a realistic goal without expecting immediate results. You must understand the kind of weight you want to lose and decide on a short-term goal which is realistic. The medical fraternity recommends that a weight loss of 5 to 10% over a period of six months is quite realistic. However, in order to achieve your goal, you should also set specific short-term goals like going on 20 minute walks about three times a week and having vegetables with your dinner.

It is extremely important for your goals to be realistic because the changes should be gradual and you should not be expecting instant results. Do not believe in advertisements which promise that you can lose 20 pounds every month because no diet to support the claim has been discovered until this moment.

Keep a Tab On Your Calorie Intake

If you intend to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. The precise number will be determined by your current weight and the kind of activities you are involved in. You should be aiming to cut back about 250 to 1000 cal from your diet every day to lose about 0.5-2 pounds a week. You can easily get a calculator for counting your calorie intake and understand the calories unit to consume every day to maintain your current weight along with the calories you need to cut in order to benefit from the weight loss program.

Monitor Your Progress

You will not be able to succeed with the weight loss program unless you also monitor the progress regularly. You may need to make changes to the program according to your requirements and research has proven that self-monitoring is essential. If you are having difficulties in meeting your goals, you can refine the goals and your behaviors to meet the requirements you have set. Setting a goal is often considered easy by most people and therefore there is no harm in trying to understand whether you can break this barrier and set some challenges for yourself.

The weight loss program will look like a hassle in the beginning but, when you make progress and begin to feel and look lighter, you will understand that you have embarked on a journey which will leave you healthier for life. You just need to remember that you cannot expect results instantaneously and need to work hard before you finally get the unwanted pounds away from your body. Apart from setting goals and working on the weight loss program diligently, you also need to be determined to change the way your body looks and aim to carry on with the program even after you have lost the undesired weight.