Losing weight is not easy. Many aspects of modern day life work against us when trying to lose weight: technology that negates the need for physical exertion and the growth of the fast food industry are two of these factors. Despite this, weight loss is achievable if it is carefully planned and approached in the correct manner.
Exercise more and eat less
Reducing your calorie intake is the key to losing weight. In its simplest terms, losing weight requires the total number of calories consumed to be less that the total number of calories burned.
Trying to lose weight by concentrating on only one of these factors – eating less or exercising more - is very difficult. The most effective strategy is to eat less and exercise more. For example, if you can increase the amount of calories you burn by 250 a day, and also decrease calories consumed by 250, then you’ve made a 500 calorie difference each day.
Include resistance training in your exercise plan
Increasing your muscle mass will boost your chances of successful long-term weight loss. Muscle uses calories, even when you are inactive, so adding a few pounds of lean muscle will allow you to constantly burn calories throughout the day and night.
Be active throughout the entire day
Increasing your activity levels doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym every day for an hour of intense exercise. You can increase the number of calories you burn by doing small amounts of activity throughout the entire day, such as walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or walking part of the journey to work.
Keep a food diary
As well as recording the foods you consume, it is worthwhile writing down the reasons why you ate each meal. For example, did you eat because you were hungry or because you were bored? Looking back on this information can be very beneficial when analyzing your weight loss progress.
Avoid calorie packed drinks
When calculating your calorie intake throughout the day it is easy to forget the drinks that you’ve consumed. However, sugar-filled energy drinks and calorie-packed coffees significantly contribute to your total calorie intake. As much as possible, try to drink water. If this is a little plain for you, add a squeeze of lemon juice or just a splash of fruit juice to your water to add flavour.
Contributed by Hamad Medical Corporation
