Reading the nutritional content can help you lose weight
Start reading labels and menus. More and more you can find calories, fat, carbs, sugar, sodium and full nutritional content listed. Seeing how many calories that fancy coffee has, or how much sugar is in a serving of cereal might help you make better choices.
Exercise is still a good idea
- The American Heart association recommends that individuals should exercise for at least 150 minutes in a week. Maintaining this healthy lifestyle of proper diet and adequate exercise will help to keep the weight off long term.
- There are many exercise plans out there that individuals can try. When starting to exercise, start slow, do not push yourself to the extreme and risk injury. Everyone is different and it is perfectly okay to start slow and build up to exercising to 150 minutes/week. It may also be a good idea to talk to your doctor about your cardiovascular status before starting an exercise regimen.
Dieting can work
When choosing a weight loss program you want to choose one that does not just focus on diet but targets a healthier lifestyle that you can stick with for the long term. A weight loss program that focuses on eating less but eating healthier foods should help you lose weight and keep it off. Before starting a weight loss program, talk to your health care provider for advice. All these programs and diets have worked for some people at some time.
- Weight watchers: a weight loss program based on a point system where people get to decide what foods they want to spends their daily points on. They have a certain number of points per day and they chose how to divide those points between their meals. They can gain additional points by exercise and these convert to points they can spend on food.
- Jenny Craig: a program that delivers food based on a healthy diet that you and your personal Jenny Craig consultant have decided on together. Participants can have up to 6 meals a day and does not require counting of calories. The program contains a variety of meals/foods for individuals to choose from.
- NutriSystem: focuses on portion control and aims to provide a well-balanced diet. Participants can have 6 meals a day to decrease the feeling of hunger throughout the day and no calorie counting is required. This program also contains a variety of foods to choose from.
- The Atkins diet is a low carb diet. The idea behind this diet is that low amounts of carbohydrates will lead the body to find other means of energy such as fat. When the body burns fat, you lose weight.
- The DASH Diet is a well-balanced way of eating that centers on real food. It has been proven to decrease blood pressure and is often recommended for people with higher blood pressures. It can also help lower cholesterol and help you feel more energized.
- The Mediterranean Diet is also a heart-healthy diet that focuses on increasing fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Olive oil is used instead of butter or margarine and salt is avoided. Red meat should be eaten no more than a few times a month, sticking instead with fish and less frequently, poultry, eggs and cheese. A glass of red wine may also be appropriate for some people.
There are many more diet plans out there. Be careful to choose something that works for you and go with a program and diet that allows you to eat healthy and exercise and keep the weight off long term.
Medication may be appropriate for some people
Today there are multiple medication choices, with different mechanisms of action. All medications may have side effects and some side effects may be serious. If you have not been successful with diet and exercise alone, you might think about talking to your doctor about the risks and potential benefits of a weight loss medication. Current weight loss medications might help you lose 5-10% of your weight, or even more. Weight loss medications are generally indicated for short-term use. Some examples of medications include:
- Orlistat (non-prescription)
- Xenical (Orlistat, higher dose, prescription only)
- Belviq (Lorcaserin HCL)
- Qsymia (Phentermine-extended release topiramate)
- Contrave (Bupropion-naltrexone)
- Saxenda (Liraglutide)
Weight loss tips for everyone
- Eat at home as much as possible – eating at restaurants may be convenient or fun but often results in you eating more and eating less healthy foods
- Decrease portion size – use smaller plates and it will feel like you’re getting a bigger meal
- Track what you eat – if you have to enter in or write down everything you eat you might pay more attention to your diet
- Track your exercise – activity trackers can automatically track steps and more. Create an activity goal and stick with it.
- Weigh yourself daily – when you go up a little, you can cut back more the next day
- Get help from friends and family – if you work on staying healthy with a partner, you are more likely to stick with it.
