5 Secrets of Life Long Weight Loss

Most people have had some success with losing a few pounds.  Maybe it was for a special vacation or an event.  However, not everyone can keep the weight off for a lifetime without following a few basic strategies.  Below are the 5 basic secrets to life long weight loss.

#1 Change your Eating Habits

As we get older, our body changes and our metabolism slows down.  So, we need to change how we eat so that we take in less calories. Some suggestions:

• Make smaller plates – Leave some space on your plate.  This alone could reduce your calorie intake by 100 calories per day or 10 pounds in a year.
• Consider smaller, lighter meals and snacks.  This keeps our metabolism energized and constantly working and prevents us from over eating because of hunger.
• Pay attention to what you are drinking – Remember soda and wine can contain over 150 calories per serving.  That’s the equivalent of 15 pounds in a year.

#2 Movement

Movement burns calories.  Get up and walk around as often as possible.  Walk the stairs instead of the elevator.  Take a stroll around the block during lunch time and again after work.  Move around as much as possible.

#3 Eat Vegatables

• Eat colorful vegetables!

Vegetables are low calorie and high nutrient.  Virtually every weight loss diet encourages vegetables for a healthy lifestyle.  Fiber keeps us filling full and studies show that fiber contributes to reductions in diseases including colon cancer.

#4 Stay Hydrated

Water assists with the digestion of food and allows our bodies to convert food to energy efficiently.  Also, as we get older, our body’s thirst receptors lose their ability to recognize thirstiness over time.  Our bodies start to confuse hunger with thirst.  Stay hydrated so that your stomach stays fuller and your body does not send false hunger signals.  Lastly, water is needed to continue to flush our liver and internal organs.  As we age, it is more important to continue to flush our body as we typically ingest more medications that leave traces that need to be removed by our liver.

#5 Get Sleep

As we age, our bodies hormones have a greater chance of becoming unbalanced.  Proper sleep allows our body the time to repair and bring our bodies back into balance.  Proper balance allows our body to process digestion properly and allow control the hormones that contribute to appetite, hunger, insulin resistance, and stress hormones.  Proper rest is vital to a life long weight reduction.

So, remember these 5 secrets of life long weight loss-eat smaller meals, exercise(movement), eat your vegetables, drink water and get plenty of rest.  They really aren’t secrets but are the basics of a life long weight loss plan.   As always, let me know how I can be of assistance to your weight loss and healthy lifestyle goals.