The Basics Of Weight Loss and Diets If you're one of the 120 million Americans who has gained weight over the years, chances are you've tried at least one "diet." You may have even shed some of the weight, but if you are like most people, you have also regained it. We all want to believe there is some magic formula or trick to losing weight. Unfortunately, the only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than what your body uses. Weight gain happens when we eat extra calories from any source: protein, fat, or carbohydrate. If you eat too much food for the amount of activity that you do, your body stores the extra calories from the food as body fat. To lose weight, you can cut down on calories, increase your activity level - or better yet, do both. To keep the weight from coming back, balance the calories you eat with your activity level. Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers are examples of programs to help lose weight. Research shows that losing just 5 -10% of your starting body weight - and, most importantly, keeping it off - can help you reap substantial health benefits by preventing or controlling diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and many others.

** Set realistic goals. If you have a lot of weight to lose, focus on losing it in 5 pound blocks. Small goals are more doable and can mentally help you keep going when the going gets tough. ** Aim for a gradual - but steady - loss of ½ to 2 pounds per week. The weight didn't arrive overnight so try not to expect to lose it quickly either. ** Make small changes that become lasting habits. A habit is something you just do without thinking about it- like brushing your teeth. Simple changes in your diet (eating half a sandwich instead of a whole) and activity level (taking the stairs instead of the elevator) need to become routine. ** Slow and steady wins the race. Trimming a mere 250 calories a day from what you usually eat will result in a loss of about ½ pound a week. Add an hour of walking each day, and you'll lose another ½ pound each week for a total of one pound. After 6 months, you may lose up to 25 pounds. ** Get Moving. Shoot for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each day. All activity counts: cleaning the house, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking further from your destination. You don't even have to do it all at once: you can take a 15-minute walk at lunch, and another one after dinner. ** Smaller activity sessions usually ndo not same effect as longer ones, from a weight management standpoint., but ANY activity is a great start. ** Keep a record. Keep a journal and write down everything you eat and activities that you do before deciding to make any changes. That way, you will know your patterns and can decide on what changes will work for you. Check out the chart below for some sample suggestions on how to painlessly cut calories. erms Of Use