Weight loss management is an increasingly important issue in today’s society, since recent research indicates that “obesity is a serious health concern. During 2009–2010, more than one-third of adults, or about 78 million people, qualified as obese, and nearly one of five youths aged 2–19 years was obese.”* The fact that the diet and weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar business indicates this is an important area to individuals. The key is how to lose weight and maintain it in a healthy manner.
Food is essential to our lives. It fuels us, providing nutrition and energy. As the adage goes, do you eat to live or live to eat? At times food can be abused or used as a drug to help curb emotional distress. We all know the term “comfort food.” Based on the fact that you are reading this, first give yourself credit for exploring a change in your life.
Weight gain may initially occur as a result of overeating, lack of exercise, physical or mental illness, stress or other emotional issues, or as a side effect of certain medications. Why is weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight so important? Because obesity has numerous serious life and lifestyle complications that include Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and infertility, among others.
Healthy weight loss, or weight loss management, is often achieved through effective management of a nutritious daily diet coupled with strength training and/or cardiovascular exercise. Individuals most successful in weight loss management avoid dieting and instead implement a true lifestyle change, rethinking their relationship with food. While “fad” diets can be very popular, it is extremely unhealthy for a person to undergo significant or extreme weight gain or loss in a short period of time. Sustainable weight loss takes time, so give yourself time. For that reason, it’s important to develop healthy habits and positive relationships with food as opposed to solely focusing on the scale. A good question to ask yourself when hungry is “is it body hunger, or brain or emotional hunger?”
Depending on your age, your current physical condition, your family history of disease and more, you will require a different number of daily calories and amount of physical activity in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Knowing this information is will be an important factor in your success.
Advice and resources on weight loss management are provided here, but doctors, nutritionists or personal trainers are also great sources of information to help individuals come up with game plans that work for them. If you can find a way to make it fun or a new adventure, then you will be much more likely to maintain and manage your weight loss. To stay motivated, keep in mind that the benefits os successful weight management include feeling better physically, improved self-esteem, more energy, becoming more social, and much more. We hope you find the resources you are looking for within our website.
* Center for Disease Control (U.S. Government)
The above summary by WebPsychology.