Proper Nutrition, Exercise and More for Weight Loss

Losing weight can aid your long-term health, but only if you do it wisely. Here are a few tips for shedding pounds the healthy way:

1. Adopt a diet plan you can live with. Fad or “crash” diets do more harm than good, not only to your waistline but to your general health and wellness. Highly restrictive and/or unbalanced diets may cause you to lose lots of weight early on, but inevitably the pounds will return once you decide you cannot keep up the distasteful regimen. These diets may also cause dangerous malnutrition.

2. Eat for health. Eating several small meals a day can keep you from feeling hungry and indulging in between-meal snacks. Many of the foods richest in nutrients are also among the lowest in fat. Emphasize lean meats, green vegetables and colorful fruits to ensure generous amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants (which aid many bodily processes) and fiber (which helps you feel full).

3. Exercise. It only makes sense that you can lose weight only as long as you burn more calories than you take in. Starving yourself while remaining sedentary, however, will only degrade your health. Your metabolism may also slow down to hang onto whatever fat stores it can, causing your weight loss efforts to plateau. Regular exercise builds muscles, and muscles demand energy, encouraging your metabolism to keep burning fuel. It also keeps your joints limber and promotes cardiovascular health.

4. Drink water. Water is just as critical to proper health and nutrition as any foods you may eat. In fact, many of the hunger pangs people feel are actually caused by dehydration. If you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water and wait to see if the feelings recede.

Need a Healthy, Long-Term Diet Plan?