Healthy Weight Loss

By Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN
updated on 11/19/2007 at 03:05PM

There are as many different ways to lose weight as there are dieters who try them. But not all diets and exercise programs provide a healthy means of losing weight. If you’re looking for a healthy way to achieve weight loss and keep it off, you’ve come to the right spot. Read on to learn more about healthy weight loss strategies that can work for you.

See Your Doctor: You should always check with your health care provider before starting any new diet or exercise program. Your doctor or registered dietitian can help you evaluate your weight loss goals, including the amount of weight you should lose and the pace at which you should strive to lose it. You may not need to lose as much weight for your health as you think.

Tip: A registered dietician can help you create a meal plan that will help you lose weight in a healthy, reasonable, and realistic manner. Ask you health care provider or call your local hospital for a referral to a dietician in your area.

Choose To Lose: You may not need to make any major adjustments to your caloric intake in order to lose weight, but you will need to make changes in the foods you choose to eat. If your diet currently consists of cakes and cookies or breads and pastas you may need to consider reducing the portion size of these foods in your daily diet and increasing the amount of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables that you consume. You may want to seek the help of a natural health care practitioner or weight management program to assist you with your weight loss goals.

Tip: Try to vary your diet and eat as many different fruits and vegetables as you can to maximize your intake of nutrients and keep yourself from getting bored with your food selections.

Get Physical: Exercise should be part of your daily routine, regardless of whether or not you are trying to lose weight. And if you’re looking to shed a few pounds, it’s an absolutely vital part of any healthy weight loss regimen. Exercise will also help you maintain your ideal weight after you have lost the pounds. In addition, exercise is great for your overall health, lowering your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Exercise is also great for reducing stress, improving the circulation, increasing range of motion in joints and for improving bowel function. If you’re at risk for heart disease, have a chronic illness such as high blood pressure, diabetes or if you are obese, please check with your doctor before adopting an exercise plan.

Tip: Make your workout fun by listening to motivational music, exercising outdoors or working-out with a friend.

Overcome Barriers: The key to healthy weight loss is to not just make changes in the foods that you eat and the amount that you exercise, but to also address the issues that caused you to gain weight in the first place. Do you eat in times of stress or sadness? If so, you need to examine this behavior and come up with an alternate plan before such an occasion arises. You may be on the path to achieving great weight loss results, when a stressful event derails your progress and leaves you want to throw in the towel.

Tip: Stay connected to friends and family as you work towards your healthy weight loss goals. They can help you stay on track when you might otherwise give in to temptation.

Set Goals: If you want to achieve healthy weight loss, you need to set goals for your weight loss progress. Your goals don’t have to be aggressive. Rather, they should be specific, attainable, and flexible. For example, don't say that you want to lose ten pounds a week, that's simply not possible. And don't aim to exercise for 30 minutes every day. Goals like these aren’t flexible enough to work with the average person's lifestyle.

Tip: Write your weight loss goals down on paper and hang them up on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror. They will be a lot easier to stick to if you reinforce them throughout the day.

Reward Yourself: Healthy weight loss shouldn’t be painful. It should be a fun process that you can stick to for the rest of your life. Reward yourself for your accomplishments with things that aren't food. That way, rather than focusing on all of the things that you are giving up, you can focus on the next reward that is headed your way.

Tip: It may be difficult at first to change your pattern of rewards away from sweet treats and other foods, but it will be well worth it. A reward does not have to be expensive: a new CD or an extra 15 minutes in the bath may be all the motivation you need!

About the Author

Dr. Edward F. Group III continues to develop, sell and evaluate exclusively high-end natural and organic healthcare products to support a wide range of health conditions. The products we promote are free of toxic tag-along herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, heavy metals, fumigants, irradiation, liver-toxic glues, binders, or gelatin capsules with animal-source risk and toxic preservatives. For more information, please visit the Web's best resource on weight loss.