Strategies for Weight Loss

Carrying around excess body fat can affect how you feel and increase your risk for disease. But losing weight, especially if you’re obese, can seem like an overwhelming task. Where do you start? Healthy weight loss that occurs gradually is more likely to last long-term. Learn more about the four components of healthy, sustainable weight loss.

Calorie Control

In order to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body burns during the day. One pound of fat equals a deficit of 3,500 calories, which can seem like a lot until you consider that losing 1 pound per week means cutting just 500 calories per day. You can find out how many calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight by using an online basal metabolic rate calculator and your height, current weight, gender, and activity level. Once you have your baseline, you can adjust your daily calorie intake to reach your weight loss goals.

Physical Activity

One way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories in the foods you eat, but you can also burn more calories through physical activity. Burning 250 calories per day through physical activity can help you lose an additional half-pound per week, or allow you to lose one pound per week while only cutting 250 calories per day from your diet. If you haven’t exercised in a long time, try going for a daily walk.

Strength Training

Working out with weights or resistance bands can help you lose body fat while building muscle mass. Increasing your muscle mass boosts your basal metabolic rate, which means you’ll naturally burn more calories, even when you’re at rest.

Weight Loss Support

Making lifestyle changes can be difficult, but a good support system can help. You may consider joining an online community, working with a diet buddy, or looking for weight loss support groups in your area. A support system that encourages you and holds you accountable can often make the difference between a setback or a step forward in your weight loss journey.