Guide To Chosing or Building A Comprehensive Weight Loss Program
Weight loss is a daunting topic for people. Staring at yourself in the mirror can become cumbersome as you notice those love handles and gapless thighs. It can be challenging to wake up in the morning knowing you’re not in good shape. Does this mean one has to live with excess fat for the rest of their life? Absolutely not, but what can you do to get rid of it? Stay away from weight loss pills and other nonsensical items, which provide minimal value. It is critical to focus on building a comprehensive, well-designed weight loss program catered to your specific goals. Let’s take a look at what you should be keeping in mind while diving head first into this process.
Understanding Weight Loss
Shedding weight is not as simple as reducing caloric intake. It requires meticulous attention to detail to ensure everything is being done in a healthy and efficient manner. Weight loss is not difficult as long as you comprehend what it entails from the beginning.
The body’s overall shape and size changes as the pounds are shed. This is where looking into the mirror is essential to see whether or not you are satisfied with the weight loss. Far too many people assume the concept of shedding weight is numerical. This means, they look at their scale in the morning with an empty stomach and if the numbers are going down, they are happy. Yes, the scale is key as you want to lose weight, but so is the reflection in the mirror.
Let’s take a look at what you need when it comes to putting together a weight loss program that will be easy to follow and effective at the same time. The last thing you want is an ineffective program.
Defining A Good Weight Loss Program
So, what does a good weight loss program look like by the way? Researchers have done numerous studies on the topic considering the popularity of the subject matter.
A good weight loss program is comprehensive and emphasizes a change in lifestyle rather than an immediate and/or drastic reduction in caloric intake. Starvation is never acceptable.
Emphasis is placed on tracking nutritional intake along with understanding the importance of exercise along the way. Those who track will succeed while those who don’t will spin their wheels without a solution in sight. Far too many people do this and continue to struggle because of it.
Now that a ‘good’ weight loss program has been defined, let’s move onto putting together your own.
Dietary Intake
Assuming you have measured your body fat % and weight, it is time to move onto the next step. This will look at what you are putting into your body on a regular basis. Remember, it is important to figure out how much you need to eat in order to ‘maintain’ weight on a daily basis and then reduce by 500 calories. This will get you going in the right direction and tweaks can be made along the way based on how your body responds.
For your diet to remain effective, you will have to pinpoint the value of fruits and vegetables. This is the only way to ensure you are getting enough food to remain full without being inundated with calories.
Whole grain foods along with a significant amount of water are substantial. They will ensure you are putting the right foods into your body. Remember, you are cutting 500 calories from your daily intake, so the amount you have to work with should be maximized.
Focus On Portion Sizes
Ever ate a lot and felt bloated? Everyone has had this feeling at one point or another. It comes to a point where you have to unbuckle your belt before it pops open. This should never be the case when you are on a diet.
Don’t sit down and eat large meals as this pushes one to eat more than they should. Break down your meals into smaller portions. This means try to get in at least 5-6 mini meals rather than three large ones as you might have in the past.
Consistency is essential when it comes to portion sizes to see positive changes.
Exercise
What about being active? Losing weight without exercise is possible, but will not optimize the process. If you are someone who wants to become fitter, lifting weights is an excellent way to speed up the process. It will help your muscles remain firm and only cut away the fat on your body. Those muscles going away will not feel good and fatigue will begin to set in as time goes on.
Exercise does not always mean going to the gym and lifting weights. In fact, many prefer to stay as lean as they are while dropping pounds. In that case, going for a light jog during the day for 20-30 minutes should help.
Always do what is best for you and your needs. If you don’t do this, the process is going to slow down at one point or another.
Exercising can be something as simple as grabbing a few buddies and shooting hoops for a while. This is going to get the heart pumping and sweat pouring as desired.
Any weight loss program with these changes in place is going to be effective and produce results. There is no reason to be frustrated with how things are at the moment. Shedding excess fat is not easy and those who assume it is will never get past this hurdle. Remain mentally strong as that is the only way to keep chugging along as things get harder. Once you are into a groove, it becomes hard to not want to head to the gym or continue to eat healthily. You have to develop a passion for the process as those who do this are going to shed excess fat in a matter of months.
Anyone can do this as long as they are focused on making this a lifelong change.