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Weight Loss That Lasts
Why does that weight just keep coming back? What is needed to lose weight is simple - eat fewer calories than we burn off with metabolism & exercise. Keeping it off is hard! It takes 3,500 excess calories to gain 1 pound of fat, and you must burn off that same 3,500 calories to lose it. The trouble comes when people go on a diet (with little or no exercise) until the weight is lost and then go off that diet. Trouble spots: 1. Restricting calories slows metabolism. ð Metabolism accounts for ~2/3rd of the calories you burn off each day. Slower metabolism means fewer calories being burned off. Even skipping meals slows your metabolism and makes you more likely to be overweight in the long run. 2. Losing weight means losing muscle along with the fat. ð Muscle loss decreases metabolism. For each pound of muscle you lose, your metabolism burns 50 calories less each day. 3. No exercise. ð Exercise would have helped you burn more calories off and maintain a higher metabolism. Without exercise your metabolism will be slower than it was before the diet and this means weight will come back on quicker. 4. Going off the diet and back to the same old bad habits! ð Weight loss that lasts is permanent changes in eating and exercise habits. Going back to the same habits your had before will get you back to the same weight as before and more. Requirements for weight loss that lasts: 1. Behavior changes in both eating and exercise that last a lifetime. 2. Lower calories by only 250 to 500 each day to limit slowing of metabolism. 3. Moderate intensity exercise everyday for 30 to 60 minutes, or at least 5 out of 7 days a week. 4. Eat a low-fat diet ~40 to 60 grams of fat each day. Essential for maintaining weight loss. Sound impossible? It is possible! Start by making small, gradual changes. Getting started: 1. Write down all the reasons why you should lose weight and all the reasons that hold you back & compare these two lists. ð This step motivates you to change. 2. Write down your eating and exercise habits - everything you eat, how you feel (stressed?), and when & where you eat it. ð This step helps you recognize your bad habits. 3. Write down small behavior changes (goals) that you know you can do (… I will leave one bite of food on my plate every meal…I will take a walk on my morning break everyday at work - even if it only lasts for 30 seconds, its okay…) ð This step will help you establish new healthy habits, but only if you post it in place where you will read it every day! 4. Write down a small reward for each goal. (…I will put a quarter in a jar each time I leave a bite on my plate until there is enough money to buy new clothes…I will take 10 minutes for myself tonight to relax or have a small treat, if I walked today…) ð This step helps you to stay motivated. Weight loss that lasts is not a quick fix, it a major overhaul. And it takes time! Breaking old habits and starting new ones takes an average of 30 to 45 days, so stick with it through the tough times. Remember to eat healthy by eating a wide variety of foods in 3, or more smaller, meals each day. Cynthia L. Hughes, RD, LN Registered Dietitian Licensed Nutritionist |
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