Weight Management Strategies

Successful Weight Management

It seems everywhere you look these days, from magazine covers to reality TV shows, thin is in. In fact, the thinner, the better. This unhealthy obsession with weight loss also is not only unhealthy, it’s highly unrealistic. Striving for a weight that will improve your health, increase your energy, and improve the quality of your life is a more realistic and attainable goal.

Granted, losing weight and maintaining it can be a challenge, but if you’re willing to make lifestyle changes, rather than relying on short-term diet solutions, you will be more successful. Try these five simple steps for long-term results.

Step 1: Define your reasons for losing weight

Perhaps you want to lose weight to improve your self-esteem, increase your energy levels, improve your current health status, decrease your risk of future health problems, or for other personal reasons. Whatever your goal may be, define your motivation to lose weight and ask yourself, honestly, how important your reasons are to you. If you're not fully motivated, or lose site of your motivation, you are less likely to succeed.

Step 2: Determine what changes you will have to make to lose weight

Generally, people who are successful at weight management incorporate increased physical activity and healthier eating into their lifestyles. If you focus on reducing calories without increasing your physical activity, your body will quickly adjust to your lower caloric intake. Your metabolism will slow down along with your weight loss. If you exercise without being conscious of your diet, you might feel hungry or tired, and as a result, eat more or make poor food choices.

Ideas to increase your physical activity

• Park further away from your destination, or walk short distances instead of driving.
• Rent or buy exercise videos and schedule time each day to use them.
• Whenever possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
• Ride a bike, swim, dance or garden.
• Do your chores at a more vigorous pace (listen to fast music to really get you moving).
• Join a team sport, an exercise class, or walk with others at a scheduled time.

Ideas to improve your eating habits

• Do not skip meals. Skipping meals slows down your metabolism.
• Pack a healthy lunch instead of eating out.
• Replace unhealthy snack foods with fruit, nuts and vegetables.
• Drink eight or more glasses of water a day. Add a lemon or lime for flavor and boost your intake of vitamin C.
• Avoid high fat foods including most fast food, snack foods, fried foods and fatty sauces.
• Eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon) or low-fat, skinless white meat poultry instead of other meats.
• Learn stress management techniques to minimize stress-related eating.

Making lifestyle changes will help you successfully lose weight and keep it off. But go easy on yourself—don't try all of the above suggestions at once. Instead, choose a few changes you think you can live with. Set goals that are realistic and won't require too much self-discipline.

If you’re experiencing problems or concerns with your family, health, career or friends that may get in the way of your eating or exercise plans, you may want to focus first on solving the problem and address the weight management at a later date. Sometimes exercising or improving your diet can actually help to solve other problems. However, you might need assistance through counseling or a support group to allow you to address several issues at once.

Step 3: Recognize barriers that may hinder your lifestyle changes

Even the best plan to diet or exercise can be undermined by changes in daily routines. Once you've identified one or two activities that you plan to start, write them down and think about barriers to your success. Although we can’t predict many of life's surprises, we can plan ahead to overcome them.

For example, you planned to bring a low-fat lunch to work, but you forgot it at home so you might go out for fast food instead. By keeping healthy snacks at work, you can overcome this potential barrier. Create your own plan for overcoming barriers below.

Sample Contingency Plan

Your plan

Add more lines on a separate piece of paper if necessary. Remember, start with small goals.

Step 4: Believe in yourself

To successfully lose weight and keep it off, you need to believe that you can do it. You are both your own worst critic and your best supporter. If you believe that you can make changes to increase your physical activities and to eat less high calorie foods, then you will succeed. If on the other hand, you’re burdened with self-doubt, you’re more likely to fail. Rate your belief that you will succeed in changing your eating and exercising habits. Ten means you have the highest confidence in your success and one means you have the lowest.

If you rated yourself a seven or higher, you’re definitely on the road to weight loss success. Congratulations! If you rated yourself below a seven, now may not be the right time for you to begin a weight loss plan, or maybe your weight loss goals are simply too challenging for you to achieve. Whatever the case, go back to your dietary or exercise changes, and pick one or more that would be easier to accomplish. Rate your chances of success again until you can honestly give yourself a seven or higher. Once you've experienced the success of meeting an easy goal, you’ll be ready to take on more difficult ones.

Step 5: Get started today

Now that you have decided that you are ready to start (or restart) a weight management program and have identified behavior changes that you’re sure you can maintain, it’s time to get started.

• Visit your health care provider if you have health issues which pose special dietary or exercise restrictions.
• Tell your friends and family members about your plan and ask for their support.
• Set up a support system with other people who are trying to lose weight.
• Start a food and exercise diary to help you track what you’re eating and how much you’re exercising.
• Stay positive. Keep motivated. Enjoy your success!