Weight Loss - breaking bad habits

Sustainable Weight loss is only possible if you learn to break your bad habits. failure in breaking bad habits are often the cause of people reverting back to their obese state after a weight loss program. Nine out of ten people who go on a weight loss diet program still don't make the lifestyle changes necessary to sustain their weight loss.

How to break bad habits:

The key to breaking bad habits is our emotions. This applies whether you want to lose weight because of cosmetic reasons or if you need to make Weight Loss Lifestyle" changes after a major heart operation. Its not enough to "force" yourself to make the changes as sooner or later you will revert to what you used to "enjoy". The key to breaking bad habits is to feel as though the changes you undertake are such that they make you feel more alive. You have to try and find a way to make the changes to your lifestyle more pleasurable than in not changing. One way to do this is with the help of support groups. The weight loss support groups will provide mutual encouragement for people to sustain the necessary lifestyle changes, and of course, make us feel good when we have managed to sustain our goal.

There are several things you need to consider to enable you to sustain your goal in breaking bad habits:

Recognise why you need to make the lifestyle change
By recognising why you should make the lifestyle changes, you will be able to stay focused on making the lifestyle changes.
The draw backs of not changing
You have to be clear and honest with the consequences of not breaking the bad habits. Ideally you should make a list and keep them safe to refer to as and when necessary.
The benefits of making the changes
As well as knowing what the consequences of not breaking bad habits are, you must also know what the benefits are (i.e. what is your motivation for making the lifestyle changes). Again you should keep this list as reference for motivational reasons.
Monitor your progress
By regularly monitoring your progress in making the lifestyle changes, you would be able to stay focused and notice if you start to slip up.

Children & Obesity

In simple terms, obesity is caused when the body stores excessive calories. Obesity in civilized countries is reaching epidemic proportions. What is worrying is that the children too are now more obese than ever before in the history of man kind!

Child Obesity and Weight Loss

Calories and Weight Loss

Weight loss depends on the amount of calorie intake. Calories are used by the body to perform its day-to-day functions. However, when the calories taken in is greater than the energy burnt, then the excess calories are stored as fat. The most common reasons for excessive consumption of calories are:

Psychological
Emotional
Lack of knowledge
Habit

calories and weight loss

Weight loss plans

There are a number of VERY dangerous diet plans used to target weight loss. A dangerous, or misleading, diet is one which provides "rapid" result. Remember, in order for a diet to be effective and safe, your body needs time to adjust to the change in your lifestyle. This is because rapid dieting will almost always have health consequences, and in fact research has also shown that as soon as your body adjusts to the diet, you will start to put on weight at even a higher rate than before.

Weight loss diet

Weight Loss plans to be avoided

For legal reasons we are unable to actually name dangerous or misleading weight loss diets, however, the following is a list which should help you identify these diets for yourself.

Any diet that cuts out any essential food groups (Specially carbohydrates!)
Any diet that promises or guarantees fast result
Any diet that involves you drinking only liquid food.
Any diet that involves you buying processed and ready made "food substitutes".

Weight loss diets

Diet

The food you eat is the single most important factor to the weight loss programs as a whole. Weight loss is only achieved through a healthy diet.

Weight loss diet and health

Exercise

Exercise is vital not only to a safe weight loss plan, but, is also crucial to the general operation and well being of the human body.

Weight loss exercise

Measuring Body Fat

Measuring the Body Fat is a much more accurate way of measuring how your weight loss program is going than using a bathroom scale. The bathroom scales are highly misleading!

Measure Body Fat

Swimming

Swimming is a VERY effective and safe way of burning calories. Its one of the safest ways of exercising as you do not put any excessive force on the joints.

Swimming

Walking

Walking is one of the safest form of exercise as you burn those calories without excessive wear and tear on the joints.

Walking

Pilates and Yoga

Pilates and Yoga are important to any weight loss program as they both encourage good body posture and alignment.

Pilates