Karen K. Baird, MD, Internal Medicine
Chester County Hospital
Published: December 22, 2014
If you are like two-thirds of Americans, you will list "weight loss" as one of your goals for 2015. And, like the average American, you may have already gained five additional pounds since Thanksgiving.
The benefits of maintaining a healthy weight are numerous - improved cardiovascular health, less diabetes, lower blood pressure, less arthritis, decreased risk of some cancers, such as breast and colon cancers. This is the year to reach your long-sought goal.
- To achieve weight loss, the lifestyle changes you make must be PERMANENT. If you focus on losing 10 pounds for the wedding or reunion, the weight will return when you go back to your old lifestyle habits.
- Focus on BEING HEALTHY. The word "diet" is too restrictive and loaded with negative connotations. Instead, focus on making positive choices designed to IMPROVE your health.
- Sleep on it. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If we skip on our ZZZ's, stress hormones, such as cortisol, increase making it more difficult to lose weight.
- Weigh daily and LOG YOUR RESULTS. This is a daily visual reminder - hopefully that morning weight will flashback in your mind BEFORE you have that second helping of mashed potatoes.
- Exercise for 150 minutes EVERY WEEK. A sedentary lifestyle is nearly as unhealthy as smoking. Our bodies were designed to move, and to move often. Break up your 150 minutes any way that fits your schedule - the point is to start moving. The caveat: exercise ALONE does not cause significant weight loss. Anyone who has sweated for an hour on a gym machine can attest that the calories "burned" equal the calories in a candy bar; thus an hour of hard work can be undone in under a minute. The main benefit of exercise with regards to weight loss, is that it is a sentinel health habit - meaning once people start exercising, they also do other healthy things, such as eating nutritious food, getting more sleep, drinking less alcohol, and, if a smoker, smoking less.
- Food journal. This is the most important thing you can do. Food journaling helps you to realize exactly WHAT, and how much, you are eating so that you can make better choices. Also, a food journal also helps count calories - it's like having a food "checkbook" where you start every day with a certain number of calories and you "spend" those calories when you eat. There are 3,500 calories in one pound; with your food journal, you can figure out a way to "miss" 250-500 calories each day, to lose one-half to one pound each week. There are many free smart phone apps, such as MyFitnessPal, that can do all the work for you - just plug in your foods and let the app do the rest.
The above tips are all well studied and well documented to lead to success, but they must be followed consistently and over the long term. Welcome in 2015 with a new dedication to leading a healthy lifestyle.
This article was published as part of the Daily Local News Medical Column series which appears every Monday. It has been reprinted by permission of the Daily Local News.
Related Information from Chester County Hospital: