Lose That Weight Forever! Yes, You Can!
In the last 20 years, there’s been a dramatic rise in obesity and related health issues. Eating trends that promote the consumption of larger portions, unhealthy foods and limited physical activity are only part of the problem. Busy lifestyles and longer work hours are also contributing factors.
Statistics currently show that almost two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Studies show that the prevalence of obesity has steadily increased among both genders, all ages, and encompasses all racial and ethnic groups, and affects people at all educational levels. Since 1960, the number of overweight people has increased from 45 to 66 percent, with the greatest rise occurring after 1980.
If current trends continue, obesity will soon surpass tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Obesity can increase the risk of numerous health conditions and leads to an unhealthy lifestyle.
But, there is a solution…weight management. That means weight loss and a corresponding lifestyle change to maintain it. Losing weight is the first step, and surprisingly, it’s the easiest part of the process. We put all of our energies in losing the weight, and invest little time in planning how to keep it. The result is the yo-yo effect: the experience of taking it off, gaining it back, losing it again, only to gain it all back…and even more.
As a society, we’re programmed to want things to happen faster, with less effort. We want change without changing. The desire for instant results creates the environment for the yo-yo to swing uncontrolled for years on end, sometimes for an entire lifetime.
But, don’t despair there is a solution. As we move into a new decade, we have a new opportunity to do it differently this time. We can make a fresh start and plan for our success. We can create a new lifestyle and live the best life possible.
In the past, the explosion of fast foods and instant mixes gave us the false sense of security that we were still getting the same nutritional benefits as we used to get from fresh, whole foods. Now we know that’s not true.
We’ve sacrificed good nutrition for convenience. We consume tons of empty calories, which leaves our body craving for the nutrients it needs. The evidence is in the increased levels of obesity in our children and adults. Never before have so many children developed what used to be mature adult diseases, like elevated cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. All of these conditions can be traced back to poor eating and exercise habits.
Thankfully, we’re waking up! More and more people are realizing that change is not only necessary, it’s required if our children are to survive, and have longer life-spans. Research is showing alarming statistics that for the first time in our history, the current generation of children will have shorter life-spans than their parents.
The time to act is now. And thanks to new knowledge about how the body works, a return to more natural, whole foods, and the increased focus on physical activity, we’re turning things around. We now know that rapid weight loss isn’t necessarily the best way. We know that losing the weight is only half the battle; that if we’re to keep it off, and experience improved health, we must learn new habits to replace the old ones.
So, whether you choose a reduced eating program like Weight Watchers or Nutri-System, or a diet supplement like Acai or Hoodia, you must include a lifestyle change to maintain the weight loss and realize the maximum benefit over the long term.
I’ve dieted off and on for most of my life. I’ve yo-yo’d and ho-ho’d on nearly every diet there is. It wasn’t until I learned how to make my diet work for MY lifestyle, and planned for life after dieting that I finally attained the success I’d always dreamed of.
You can do it too. I’m offering a free report full of tips to help you get through the rough times, and managing the real life situations that often sabotage our weight loss and push us off the weight loss wagon. I encourage you to do more than just diet this time. This time, choose a weight loss program you can live with, and create a plan for managing the challenges you know will come, and for changing your lifestyle after reaching your goal. It’ll will greatly enhance your chances for success.
Here are 5 things you can do to say on track:
1. Be prepared for those ‘temptation moments’. Make your own snacks and take them with you.
2. Carry water with you at all times. You gotta drink it anyway, make it easy.
3. Eat your first meal within 2 hours of rising. You’ll avoid the lion of hunger!
4. Eat 4-6 small meals at 2-3 hour intervals, rather than 1 or 2 large ones.
5. When eating out, ask for a doggie-bag when you order and put half of your meal in it before you eat.
It’s a new year, and a new decade. Make this year the year you not only keep your resolution to lose weight, make it the year you take it off, and keep it off…forever!
