Losing weight is universally thought to be a daunting, potentially painful, unwanted thing to have to do. Most people think that weight loss necessarily involves self-denial, feeling drained and tired and exercising to the point of exhaustion. Starvation and excessive exercise will indeed lead to weight loss, but neither are sustainable; if you want to lose weight and keep it off you need to make gradual change - lifestyle change.
I know - you've heard that before. A "change in lifestyle" doesn't sound much more pleasant than "losing weight" but it can be. In the past you've probably been told that "moderation is key", and it is usually said in a negative context: "stop drinking so much", or "stop eating so much junk food". In this way moderation is usually meant to say that you should stop doing the things you enjoy so much.
When applied in a positive way moderation can hold the key to a lifestyle transformation that you find easy to commit to, and one which will comfortably bring about the weight loss that you are searching for.
It can be difficult to moderate your negative habits, but it can often be quite easy to apply moderation to positive habits, ones that would be difficult to pattern immediately if applied excessively. You may need to cut sweets out of your diet, but you find the idea of cutting them out completely unsustainable. Taking up running will certainly cause you to lose weight - but it can be dangerous of you take on too much too soon.
Despite all of the current marketing hype surrounding miracle diets, it's a pretty well-established truth that your ability to lose weight depends upon balancing your caloric intake with expenditures - it boils down to diet and exercise. Dramatic changes in either can produce weight loss, but those changes are difficult or impossible to maintain.
The key is to implement positive change very slowly - so slowly that it is barely noticeable - and then increasing the change when and if comfortable. Here are four changes that you can make in your daily routine that can be implemented gradually, and that will lead to a healthier and slimmer you:
1) Drink lots of water. Did you know that, ideally, you should drink about 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day? That's a lot of water, but you don't have to start out with that much. Get a sixteen ounce water bottle and keep it with you wherever you go in the course of your day. See how many times you can drink the bottle completely and refill it. If you measure it - count the number of bottles - the amount you drink will naturally increase with little or no effort. Water is a great appetite suppressant, and is needed by your body to process food and function efficiently.
2) Increase your level of physical activity. We've all heard this before, right? What you're not told is to start very, very, VERY slowly - so slowly you hardly notice. If you set a goal for yourself that is too aggressive and difficult to attain, you will almost certainly fail. Set a goal that is easy to attain and hit it, and you'll be ready to build on that success. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Go for a walk before you leave for work. When you get home from work - go for a walk! Walking is one of the most relaxing and beneficial weight loss habits that you can learn. Turn on the television or go for a walk? Get a snack or go for a walk? These are easy choices, and you can make the healthy one several times a day instead of that other one and begin to feel the difference. Remember: small goals, small steps, implemented consistently.
3) Get more rest. Clinical studies have shown that there is a close correlation to lack of sleep and weight gain. Those deprived of sleep tend to opt for high calorie foods, and the hormones that regulate appetite and that full feeling you get right after a meal get all out of whack if you haven't had enough sleep. Shoot for eight hours of sleep per night. If you can't find enough hours in the day, get as close as you can to that number. Your body needs rest in order to maintain a healthy balance, and sleep will help keep your appetite at bay.
4) Moderate your diet. This, of course, is one of the more difficult steps for many, but there are tools that you can use to ease this process and again - you don't have to do this all at once. You've already begun to drink more water, which will help suppress your appetite. Over-the-counter appetite suppressants can also help you to curb eating between meals as you adjust (over a course of weeks) your diet to include healthier foods. Choose a mild appetite suppressant and use it to supplement the steps above. As for particular foods, nutritionists agree that the more natural your food base is, the greater the positive influence in your diet will be. Choose natural foods when you can, don't try to change your diet overnight, and gradually moderate your caloric intake to match your level of activity.
If you implement the steps outlined above ever-so-slowly but consistently in your day-to-day activities you will bend your lifestyle in a sustainable way to a pattern that will help you lose weight and keep it off. Done correctly, it should take you the rest of your life to implement these steps, as they represent a journey rather than a destination. Go slowly - moderation is key and you will find that you not only lose weight but you feel better as well for years to come.
About the Author:
The author has been researching and using weight loss products for over twenty years and is an expert in natural and healthy weight loss. Visit our site to purchase the finest products available in natural health care and natural weight control products.
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