Hundreds of fad diets, weight-loss programs, and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. But the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to make lasting lifestyle changes. When thinking about weight-loss, one often has an “ideal” body weight in mind or an ultimate weight-loss goal. This is a misconception. Studies have shown that health benefits resulting from weight-loss are evident with a weight reduction as low as 5-10 percent. Even losing a modest amount - just 5-10 percent of your total body weight - can result in almost immediate health benefits and reduce your risk for a wide variety of health conditions and diseases.
Setting Realistic Goals
Long-term weight loss takes time and effort. So be sure that you're ready to eat healthy foods and become more active. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week over the long term. Losing 5% of your current weight may be a good goal to start with. If you weigh 180 pounds (82 kilograms), that's 9 pounds (4 kilograms). Even this amount of weight loss can lower your risk of some long-term health conditions.
It can help to set two types of goals. The first type is called an action goal. You can list a healthy action that you'll use to lose weight. For instance, "Walk every day for 30 minutes" is an action goal. The second type is called an outcome goal. You can list a healthy outcome that you aim to have. "Lose 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms)" is an example of an outcome goal. An outcome goal is what you want to achieve. But it doesn't tell you how to get there. An action goal does.
The Importance of Personal Motivation and Support
No one else can make you lose weight. You need to make diet and physical activity changes to help yourself. Make a list of reasons why weight loss is important to you. The list can help you stay inspired and focused. Maybe you want to boost your health or get in shape for a vacation. Think of your goals on days when you don't feel like eating healthy foods or moving more. Find other ways to stay on track too.
It's up to you to make the changes that lead to long-term weight loss. But it helps to have support from others. Pick people who will inspire you. If you prefer to keep your weight-loss efforts private, take some steps to stay on course. Track your diet and exercise in a journal or an app. Also track your weight.
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How 5% Weight Loss Impacts Your Health
Just 5% of your body weight -- 10 pounds for a 200-pound person -- can improve all kinds of health problems, and make you feel better, too. Talk to your doctor about whether it might help you. There’s scientific evidence that many obesity-related conditions improve with a 5-10 percent weight-loss. A 5-10 percent weight-loss can result in a five point increase in HDL cholesterol. This deserves applause as raising HDL by these few points can lower the risk of an individual developing heart disease.
Easing Joint Pain
Just 10 extra pounds add 40 pounds of pressure on your knees and other lower body joints. That can wear them out quicker. Extra fat can also cause inflammation -- when chemicals in your body damage your own tissues over time, including your joints. Losing even a little weight can ease these effects. If you keep it off, you’re much less likely to get arthritis later in life. "Losing one pound of weight results in 3-4 pounds of pressure being removed from joints," says Dr. Dudley. "In other words, losing ten pounds of weight relieves 40 pounds of pressure from your joints."
Reducing Cancer Risk
One study showed that older women who lost at least 5% of their body weight lowered their chances of breast cancer by 12%. There’s no such clear proof that losing weight protects you from other types, but some changes that happen when you shed pounds hint that it might. For example, overweight people who slim down have lower levels of some hormones linked to cancer, like estrogens, insulin, and androgens.
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
If you’re more likely to get the condition, weight loss is one of two ways to prevent or delay it. The other is moderate exercise -- 30 minutes on 5 days a week. If you weigh 160 pounds, you could lose just 8-12 of them to get the benefit. If you already have diabetes, losing that weight can help you take less medication, keep control of your blood sugar, and lower the odds that the condition will cause other health problems. Research has shown that a 5-10 percent weight-loss can decrease this marker by half a point on average.
Improving Cholesterol Levels
You can lower your LDL or “bad” cholesterol with healthier food and medications. But it’s harder to raise levels of the “good” kind of cholesterol, HDL. That’s the type that clears bad LDL from your blood, so the more you have, the better. Exercise and losing body fat can get you into the ideal HDL range: above 60 mg/dl, which lowers your odds of having heart disease.
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Lowering Triglycerides
They’re particles in your body that transport fat for storage and energy. High levels (more than 200 mg/dl) mean you’re more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. You can get closer to healthy levels (around 150 mg/dl) if you slim down a little. Losing 5-10 percent of body weight was shown to decrease triglycerides by an average of 40 mg/dl, which is a significant drop.
Reducing High Blood Pressure
Extra body weight makes your blood push harder against your artery walls. That makes your heart work harder, too. You can lower the pressure by about 5 points if you trim 5% from that number on the scale. Cut your salt and eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy, and you may lower it even more. By losing 5-10 percent of one’s weight, blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, decrease by 5 mmHg on average.
Alleviating Sleep Apnea
People who are overweight gain extra tissue in the back of their throats. When your body relaxes when you sleep, that tissue can drop down and block your airway. It makes you stop breathing over and over all night, which causes all kinds of health problems, especially for your heart. Slimming down a little can often help with sleep apnea -- sometimes enough that you can stop using the bulky breathing devices that treat it. It has been shown that a 5-10 percent weight-loss may improve sleep apnea and sometimes if the apnea was not very severe, one can be weaned from the CPAP breathing machine.
Reversing Insulin Resistance
Body fat, especially in your belly area, gives off chemicals that make your body stop reacting to the effects of insulin, a hormone that keeps the level of sugar in your blood normal. Even though your pancreas works harder to make more insulin, your blood sugar can get too high. A little bit of weight loss can help reverse this effect.
Improving Sleep Quality
Some studies have shown that not getting enough ZZZs can make you more likely to be obese. Others show that losing at least 5% of excess weight can lead to better sleep. But don’t overdo it. Sleeping too much isn’t good for your weight or your health.
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Boosting Mood
Weight loss may help chase your blues away. Scientists are still trying to work out why, but better body image and improved sleep may be part of the reason. In one study, depressed people who were very overweight felt better after they lost an average of 8% of their body weight. Other research shows you’ll continue to feel better, even after 2 years -- as long as you keep the weight off.
Reducing Inflammation
Fat cells, especially those around the belly, can release chemicals that irritate and inflame tissues all over the body. This is linked to health problems like arthritis, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Work toward a 10% weight loss goal, and you can lower the amount of these substances and cut your chances of having a serious illness.
Enhancing Sexual Function
Some research shows that excess weight may affect certain sex hormones in the blood and lower sex drive. Losing weight can feel daunting, and requires planning and commitment. Shed a few pounds and you’ll not only feel better about yourself, you may be in the mood more often, too.
Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke
Excess weight is a key risk factor for coronary artery disease and stroke. Every pound of fatty (adipose) tissue in our body contains hundreds of feet of blood vessels that require oxygen and nutrients. So, the more fat you carry, the harder your heart has to work to pump blood to all the blood vessels in your body. Excess weight is also associated with clogged or narrowed arteries due to a buildup of plaque made up of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and other fatty substances. Narrowed arteries combined with hypertension greatly increases your risk for heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
Gallbladder Disease
Excess body weight, along with other genetic and lifestyle factors, is believed to be a major risk factor for the development of gallbladder disease, specifically gallstones.
Diet and Exercise Strategies
To lose weight, you need to lower the total calories you take in from food and drinks. One way that you can take in fewer calories is to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These are known as plant-based foods. They're low in calories and high in fiber. Fiber helps you feel full. Eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits a day. Have whole grains, such as brown rice, barley, and whole-wheat bread and pasta. Use healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, nut butters and nut oils. Limit foods and drinks that have added sugar. These include desserts, jellies and sodas. Focus on eating fresh foods. They have more nutrition than processed foods. Processed foods often come in a box or a can.
You can lose weight without exercise, but it's harder to do. Exercise has many other benefits. It can lift your mood, lower blood pressure and help you sleep better. Exercise helps you keep off the weight that you lose too. How many calories you burn depends on how often, how long and how hard you exercise. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking. Work up to at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week. Also aim to do strength training exercises at least twice a week. Any extra movement helps you burn calories. So think about ways to move more during the day.
Embrace a colorful diet. According to the American Heart Association, at least half your plate should be filled with fruits and veggies. These beneficial bites contain phytonutrients, nutritious chemicals that plants produce. White foods contain flavonoids, which support healthy bones. They can also help ward off toxins and potentially decrease your risk of chronic health conditions. Those foods include: Bananas, Cauliflower, Garlic, Mushrooms, Onions, Potatoes, Parsnips, Ginger.
Eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids - good fats - can also improve pain caused by inflammation. Salmon, mackerel, and walnuts are all high in omega 3s.
From swimming laps to walking the dog to playing sand volleyball, research shows that all forms of movement provide perks. "One of the best things you can do to lessen pain and discomfort from arthritic conditions is to keep moving," advises Dr. Dudley. "You may have to modify your activity for knee or hip arthritis but having these conditions does not mean you have to give up having an active lifestyle."
Making it a Lifestyle
It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for just a few weeks or months. To keep off extra weight, you should make these healthy changes a way of life. Think about negative habits or other challenges that have kept you from losing weight in the past. You'll likely have some setbacks on your weight-loss journey. But don't give up after a setback. Simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once. Stick to your healthy lifestyle.
Tracking Progress and Seeking Support
Weigh yourself once a week, track your progress and remember: you didn’t gain the weight overnight and you won’t lose it overnight. Be patient with yourself and give it time. You’re on a journey, not a sprint, toward a healthier life and reducing your risk for a wide range of health problems. Identify family members or friends who will support your weight loss efforts. Coworkers or neighbors with similar goals might share healthy recipes and plan group physical activities. It may help to join a weight-loss program or visit a health care professional, such as a nutrition or weight-loss specialist. You can also ask your health care provider for resources to support a healthy weight.