Gradual Weight Management Plan

How you manage your weight will affect your long-term success and unless your health is seriously at risk due to complications, gradual weight loss should be your goal. Here are some of the things which can help you gradually decrease your weight: 1. Consult with your doctor and ensure that your health status allows you to lower your caloric intake and increase your physical activity. 2. Follow a calorie-reduced balanced diet which will provide you one or two pounds of weight loss a week. Be sure to include at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, lean meat and low fat dairy products. 3. Engage in physical activity. Little things such as taking the stairs at work, walking up or down an escalator or even parking at the far end of a lot instead of cruising around for the closest spot will do you good. Walking is an excellent form of physical activity that almost everyone can do. Consider the benefits of a gradual weight loss. There's scientific evidence that losing five to ten percent of your weight and keeping it off can benefit your health and lower your blood pressure. For example, if you are 5 feet 6 inches tall and weigh 180 pounds, and your goal is 150 pounds, losing five to ten percent would be ideal and beneficial. When it comes to successful weight loss and weight management, steady and slow can be the way to go. To help us understand weight management, below are the factors which affect our weight: 1. The kind of food we eatrn2. How much food we eatrn3. The amount of physical activity you engage inrn4. Whether you use food to respond to stress and other situationsrn5. Your physiologic and genetic make-uprn6. Your agern7. Your health status A successful weight loss and weight management should be able to address all of these factors. For your benefit, it would be wise to ignore products and programs that promise quick and easy results. Also stay away from products which promise permanent results without causing any change to your lifestyle. Any advertisement that says you can lose weight without lowering your calories intake and/or increasing your physical activity is merely selling fantasy and false hope. If you are choosing a diet that is right for you, consider taking on the Medifast diet as this does not put your health at risk. This diet focuses on portion control as well as counting your calories intake. Typically, meals range between 800 and 1000 calories. The meals are the heart of the Medifast diet as they are nutritionally designed to restrict calories while promoting a healthy balance between protein and carbohydrates. This ensures that while you burn fat and lose weight, you continually replace protein and build muscle mass. All of the meals are designed to provide you with all of the recommended daily allowances to remain healthy while restricting calories so that you will begin to burn fat at a rapid pace. For people who are trying to lose weight, a long-term and healthy weight management plan generally requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic changes in their lifestyle and improve their health. Needless to say, a lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity can be a real lifesaver.