Need to lose a few pounds? How to tip the scales in your favor
Find a plan you can live with long term. A key to reaching and maintaining a healthful weight—once and for all—is to adopt a “fad-free” eating and exercise plan that suits your lifestyle. Eating deliciously is key.
Start with small steps—and keep on going. You don’t have to overhaul your eating and exercise habits overnight—start with just a few small changes and build from there. In fact, you might be more successful in the long run if you give yourself time to turn healthful changes into permanent habits.
Eat a little less, burn a little more. Losing just 1/2 to 1 pound per week can add up to big results over time. To meet this goal, try trimming 250 to 500 calories per day through a combination of eating fewer calories and burning more calories through physical activity.
Downsize your portions. One easy way to cut calories is to trim the amounts you usually eat. Just a few examples are to:
- Split a big bagel, sandwich, entrée or dessert with a friend.
- Save half the meal for later.
- Order a smaller burger or fries.
You can occasionally eat your favorite treats like cookies, cake and ice cream when you keep portion sizes small and account for the calories in your meal plan. Check out the serving size and calories per serving on the Nutrition Facts label. For built-in portion control, try Nabisco Cookies in 100 Calorie Packs and 100 Calorie Pack Cheese.
Lighten up! Trim calories and keep the taste by using products such as reduced fat cheeses and sour cream, light salad dressings and mayonnaise, low-calorie gelatin and sugar free pudding and gelatin. Read labels carefully, but products like these often have fewer calories per serving. Lighten up your recipes, too. Try these Healthy Living Makeovers.
Feel the fiber advantage. Eating fiber-rich foods can help keep you satisfied while you exercise and cut calories to lose weight. They provide bulk and make you chew more, which helps you feel full and satisfied after eating. Plus, eating slower gives your stomach time to tell your brain you’ve had enough. You’ll find fiber in bran and whole grain cereals, whole wheat bread, fruits, vegetables and beans.
Move more. Shoot for at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity each day. Taking a fitness walk or an exercise class is great, but so is walking around the mall before you start shopping, pushing your cart up and down all the grocery aisles or pacing around while you’re on the phone. Household chores such as vacuuming, sweeping and raking count, too.
Build a support system. Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight may be easier if you have support from family and friends.
Keeping it off: Lasting lessons from successful losers
Sometimes losing weight is the easy part, but keeping it off is the real challenge. Research shows that people who are successful at keeping off lost pounds make similar long-term lifestyle changes based on diet and exercise. Successful losers:
- Watch their calories and eat a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet.
- Eat breakfast most days of the week.
- Track their progress by weighing in regularly or using tools such as food journals.
- Are physically active, typically for about an hour a day.
Related link: Get tips on maintaining a Healthy Weight for Kids.
