The first step in achieving healthy weight loss is to devise a weight-loss strategy
Simple stuff like what activities (exercise) you're going to do, when, and where should be included in your weight loss plan. You'll want to make a list of your objectives, both long-term and short-term. You'll absolutely need to plan out your dietary strategy...note that I didn't say "diet"!
Those who are successful in business, athletics, entertainment, inspiration, and other fields have long recognized that sitting down and writing out where you are, where you want to be, and how you want to get there is one method to boost your chances of success.
It's much easier to plan for losing weight, or any other goal-related activity if you have a clear vision of where you want to start, where you want to end, and how you want to get from one point to the next. It's all too easy to become excited about starting a weight loss program or any other activity, only to lose sight of the goal or be led down unproductive roads by daily activities and the blurring impact of time.
Here are a few things to think about when creating YOUR own weight-loss strategy:
- Make your objectives attainable:
It's unreasonable for most of us to want to weigh the same as we did in high school. Using the weight of a movie star or a relative as a target could potentially be counterproductive to achieving effective weight loss. Each of those people's weights was achieved by a combination of genetics, food, and exercise, which may or may not apply to you!
Most people are unaware that a healthy weight loss regimen should only result in a pound or two of weight loss every week for most people. This statement may seem depressing to many people who have been trying to lose weight for years.
Finally, setting unreasonable weight reduction objectives ensures failure, whereas losing a pound per week for a year is pretty simple to achieve with ambition and work.
- Don't put too much emphasis on weight loss:
I know that sounds funny because your aim is to lose weight, but if all you want to do is lose weight, it's easy to see failure. People's weight, for example, varies from day to day and even within a single day. When viewed against the backdrop of solely weight loss, a momentary setback in which weight is restored becomes exaggerated. If, on the other hand, your objective is to do the things that will make you healthy, then those few days of overeating at Thanksgiving may be more excusable in your own mind if you know that you have been walking, cutting down on sweets, or taking action in some other way.
This is something to think about in your weight-loss strategy. What steps will you take to improve your life in general? How many different approaches to "weight loss" are there? Make it a point not to set a weight loss goal for this week. Set a goal to walk for a certain amount of time, lift a certain amount of weight, or plant for a certain amount of time. Even if your weight does not change significantly over that time or even worsens, you will know that your body is benefiting from the components of your weight reduction strategy that you are still aware of.
NOTE: People who start exercising as part of a weight loss program may gain weight in the first few weeks of their new exercise routine. THIS IS EXACTLY AS NATURAL AS IT GETS! If you've recently started exercising to lose weight and gain weight, don't worry; this is most likely due to your body growing muscle mass faster than it loses fat.
- Make a plan to take it slowly:
I'm not sure whether there's a figure someplace that shows how many people quit their weight-loss program because of stress, pressure, pain, or simply exhaustion. But I've had it happen to me, I've read about it, and I know individuals who have had it happen to them. Sometimes the most basic statements are the most accurate. "It took years for your body to get this way, and you can't fix it overnight," you'll often hear. This is absolutely correct. Also, keep in mind that, even if you aren't seeing substantial changes, your body is changing on the inside, in places you can't see, and it is healing and preparing to move to higher levels of fitness and health if you follow the steps stated in your weight loss plan.
- Make a plan to track your progress:
I know I stated not to be too concerned about your weight reduction, but you do need to keep an eye on things. However, you don't have to focus solely on the number of pounds you've shed. You've progressed if you can walk farther this week than you could two or three weeks ago. In another two weeks, you should be able to walk farther or quicker. Isn't it progress if you could only exercise for five minutes at a time when you first started your weight reduction program and now you can exercise for 15 minutes? That's a great achievement, and you should be proud of it.
- Make a strategy to keep motivated:
Loss of motivation is one of the most common roadblocks that people face when trying to lose weight. When you lace up your walking shoes for the millionth time and have only lost two pounds, the passion and excitement that got you started are rarely still there.
Include your reasons for losing weight, as well as the emotional and possibly physical triggers that got you started in the first place, in your written weight loss plan to reinvigorate your drive to attain your objectives. We frequently forget how we felt and what we thought at the beginning of a trip, and being able to pull out the paper and examine our aspirations and expectations might help us get back to that original level, or at the very least remind us of why we are going through this.
