The United States is overweight as a nation. We consume more food than any other country and we have a higher percentage of people that are considered obese. More than 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities, and more than 80% of adolescents do not do enough aerobic physical activity to meet the guidelines for youth. Reducing the sodium Americans eat by 1,200mg per day could save up to $20 billion in a year in medical costs. Weight loss can be a difficult task to achieve. Below are some suggestions for obtaining a healthier lifestyle.
Work with a licensed dietician
You have probably heard of the importance of tracking calories and contents of the foods that you in. In addition to reducing your calorie intake, it can also be helpful to understand which foods are bad for you. You may make a conscious attempt to lose weight and assume that some foods are healthier. However, without actually looking at their ingredients, the healthier foods could actually be worse for you. If you are attempting to lose weight fast, you might increase your diet sodas and low fat foods. You might be surprised that these foods contain fatty contents that will not help you with fast weight loss.
The Calorie Control Council, in its latest survey of Americans? consumption of low cal foods and beverages, found that 54% of adults were on a diet in 2010. This was a major increase from 33% in 2004 and was the highest percentage recorded since 1986. Working with a licensed dietician provides you with helpful insight into the ingredients that are good for weight loss and helps you understand which foods might seem healthy, but may actually be prohibiting you from losing weight. Although this method may not help you lose weight fast, it will help with losing weight that is more likely to stay off. Many medical weight loss programs have full time dieticians on staff.
Get active
With an increase in technological and desk jobs, many Americans are not moving enough. Children spend hours per day sitting at a desk and then return home to sit in front of the TV or computer for the rest of the night. Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day, only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week. The best way to lose weight fast is to get moving. A lack of exercise is one of the biggest causes of obesity today.
While an exercise plan may not seem realistic right now, the first step in developing a healthier lifestyle is to get moving. Even if you take a break in between work tasks and talk a light stroll around the office. Try to park a little further back in the parking lot to promote a morning and evening walk. You will find that it gets easier and easier.
Smaller portions, more meals
Diets can be difficult to stick to. When you participate in crash diets, they tend to not last very long. You spend every day waiting until the diet is over and then you return to your previous eating routine. Even if you lost weight, it is just a matter of time until you gain it back. Instead of doing crash diets, attempt to change your eating habits. Eat smaller portions of food and spread them out throughout the day. You can still enjoy all of your favorite foods, you just have to limit the amount you eat of them at once. Also, changing some of your meals to more nutrient packed foods will help you feel fuller.
Many of today?s diets encourage you to lose weight fast. The problem, however, is that if you do not stick to these dietary changes, the weight will come right back. Instead of crash dieting for fast weight loss, consider making healthier lifestyle changes. Work with a licensed dietician to learn about healthy eating habits and get moving in your daily life. You are likely to be much happier with your results.