10 Things You Should Know About Losing Weight

Many Americans struggle to lose weight everyday. Some try to lose weight with diet alone and some people try to lose weight with exercise alone. In your efforts to lose weight you should keep certain things in mind to make sure you are successful and healthy on your weight loss journey.

Know Your Numbers

It is important to know whether you need to lose weight and how much weight is safe for you to lose. Calculate your Body Mass Index and that will give you a general idea of how many pounds you need to lose to get to the top of the healthy weight range for your height. Body Mass Index is not the only number you need to know. Take the time to measure your waist and calculate your body fat percentage (or have it done for you by a personal trainer at your gym). As you lose weight, keep track of these numbers because any lean muscle mass you gain can give you a false reading when calculating your Body Mass Index.

Eat More Frequently

In order to keep your metabolism working efficiently and to keep your body from thinking it's starving, eat every two to four hours. These meals will be smaller than a typical three-meal-per-day diet, enabling you to eat more frequently. Eating more frequently also keeps your blood sugar and insulin more stable. Each time you eat, be sure to have lean protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber to keep your body full and fueled.

Clean Up Your Diet

Long-lasting weight loss requires a lifestyle change. You cannot continue to eat the things that caused you to be overweight in the first place. Steadily increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, drink more water, drink less soda, and avoid fried, fatty foods. Keep down the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet by only consuming simple carbohydrates in the form of whole fruits. Even though these carbs will break down quickly in your body, they are still a source of fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Safe Weight Loss Amount

Safe and long-lasting weight loss occurs at a rate of about 1 to 2 lbs. per week. When you first start to change your diet and exercise routines, you may experience more weight loss due to loss of water weight. If you continue to lose more than 1 to 2 lbs. per week, see your doctor to make sure there is no medical explanation for the additional weight loss.

Drink Plenty of Water

Although this is a common weight loss tip, you continue to read about it because it is good advice. The human body is made up of mostly water. Water helps flush toxins out of the body, reduces bloating, and helps keep your body running as it should. Drink at least 64 oz. of water per day and even more on the days you exercise.

No Overnight Success

Just as gaining weight took time, losing the extra weight will also take some time. Losing weight too quickly can do damage to your body and put you in a position to not be able to keep the weight off. Take your time losing weight and you will have more success.

Muscle is Good

Each pound of muscle you put on your body increases your body's ability to burn calories. However, muscle weighs more than fat so the numbers on the scale may not be exactly what you want to see at times. Despite the numbers on the scale, the density of muscle is different than fat. Muscle takes up less room on the body than fat, so you will be leaner and look smaller with more muscle on your body than weighing the same but with more fat.

Cardio

Cardio, in the form of aerobic exercise, is one type of exercise that can help your body burn fat. Aerobic exercise includes brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, and any other activity that raises your heart rate over a sustained period of time. Depending on how much weight you have to lose, your cardio should last at least 20 minutes per session, three days per week. If you have substantial weight to lose, work on making your cardio more intense and aiming for 60 minutes four to five days per week. If you are just beginning to exercise and cannot exercise for 20 minutes at one time, breaking your sessions up over the course of the day still works as long as each session is at least 10 minutes.

Strength Training

Strength training is also an important part of a weight loss routine. Consult a certified personal trainer to develop a program that will work all of the major muscle groups in two to three sessions per week. Strength training can be done with free weights, weight machines, body weight, resistance tubing or a combination of all of these things. Each session should last no more than an hour to avoid injury and overtraining.

Flexibility

The third component of a weight loss program is flexibility. This includes stretching during a cool down and taking classes such as yoga. Increasing your flexibility increases your range of motion and ability to do exercises while keeping your muscles limber and less prone to injury.

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