How many of you are thinking of losing weight in 2018?
If you are like many people, you have a plan to lose weight in 2018. If you have done this before, then chances are, you know what you're in store for. Then again, if you have done this before, you may want to stop and ask yourself, "What am I going to do different this time?"
People have a tendency to go back and forth, losing, then gaining, then losing weight. Losing the weight and keeping it off is the hard part. This is partially, because everyone is different. For one person, creating a calorie deficit is all about working out, being active. This is especially helpful when there is not much going on in the movement department. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, meaning you work a sit down type of job, you drive to work, then go home and watch television and don't do much moving, then even a little movement can help. If you already are active, you may have an issue of eating too many calories. The best thing that you can do to get started is to talk to your doctor, making an appointment specifically for weight loss.
While many illnesses are coexisting with obesity, doctors are noted for not doing enough in the way of educating their patients. A recent study showed that most doctors don't have enough time to counsel on weight loss. Then again, people don't usually make an appointment just for this. They expect their doctors to provide this counseling when they are in the office.
Since 2013, obesity has been considered an epidemic in America. The truth is, much of the problem is our lifestyle. To create a pound a week reduction in weight (1-2 pounds per week = healthy weight loss) you need to create a deficit of 3,500 calories per week. This can be done in a couple of ways. You can either take in less or work out more. Of course, ideally, you would want to be able to do a little bit of both.
Focusing on the goal of losing weight should be done separate and as a main focus. Rather than doing so as a way to increase heart health or lower blood sugar, weight deserves the importance of being a singular focus. Of course, there is nothing wrong with mixing goals. however, when you focus only on health and think of weight loss as a secondary issue, you are likely to think that it is less important.
One of the best things that you can do to lose weight is to be mindful of what you are eating. While some people have seen success with calorie counting, this alone is not enough. There are a lot of factors. Whether you are counting calories or not, you should be able to focus on your overall eating plan and have it be something that you can think about without getting out a calculator.
This food pyramid offers some good suggestions on how to keep yourself mindful of what you are eating.
In addition to being mindful of what you are eating, it is helpful to cut out calories wherever you can. Whether this is by parking farther away from the store in the parking lot, taking the stairs, cutting back serving sizes or removing soda from your diet. Every little bit helps and the smallest changes that you make are the ones more likely to stick. When you change your relationship with food and exercise, to something manageable for you, then you are able to make the changes that will last. These lasting changes are how you will not only lose weight, but how you can keep it off.
We are always working on ways to lose weight and to be healthier, for the entire body. As writers, we get little time away from the computer and we have learned to make friends and to join the wellness revolution as a group. We are going to try to be as transparent as we can be on our wellness goals this year and write more often. If anyone is looking for a wellness partner, let us know!
Also, feel free to share your wellness goals for 2018!
