Moderate Your Way to Weight Loss – and Keep It Off!

For many people the idea of losing unwanted pounds is a daunting prospect. If you fit into this category you probably have the idea that weight loss runs hand in hand with denying yourself the pleasure of eating what you want, feeling drained physically and / or exercising to the point of exhaustion. Either exercising or dieting can lead to weight loss, but if you want to lose weight and keep it off it could be time for a change of lifestyle for you.

You’ve probably heard that before, but “…a change in lifestyle” doesn’t sound any less daunting than “…losing weight” – but it doesn’t have to be. You’ve probably also heard it said that “…moderation is the key” but it is usually said in a negative context – that is, as another way of saying that you should cut back on those things that you enjoy but are perhaps overindulging in such as food or alcohol.

When applied in a positive way moderation can hold the key to a lifestyle transformation that you find easy to commit to, and one which will comfortably bring about the weight loss that you are searching for.

“Moderation” in the negative habits in your life feels just like “denial”, but moderation can be applied to the positive habits that you wish to form too. If you do this you will find that you can often achieve goals that would be impossible to attain if you were to attempt to implement drastic change. If you train to run a marathon you will lose weight, but for many that is impractical – for some it is dangerous!

Miracle diets make claims that you can lose pounds of fat quickly, but they’re meant to be short lived. It is a well established fact that losing weight involves balancing your caloric intake with your output in activity. Big changes in either your intake or your activity level can produce weight loss, but big changes are difficult to implement and to maintain.

The key, then, is to implement positive change slowly. So slowly that it’s barely noticeable! When you feel it’s possible, increase the positive aspects of change. Here are four things that you can begin to do today – slowly – to bend your daily routine to a more healthy one and help you to shed pounds and keep them off:

1) Drink lots of water. Did you know that, ideally, you should drink about 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day? That’s a lot of water, but you don’t have to start out with that much. Get a sixteen ounce water bottle and keep it with you wherever you go in the course of your day. See how many times you can drink the bottle completely and refill it. If you measure it – count the number of bottles – the amount you drink will naturally increase with little or no effort. Water is a great appetite suppressant, and is needed by your body to process food and function efficiently.

2) Increase your amount of physical activity. You’ve heard this one before, it’s one of the most important things you can do to lose weight, andit is the most important step to practice with moderation. Most people fail in raising their levels of activity because they get too aggressive – they try to make big changes too fast. If you set a goal that is too difficult to maintain you are certain to fail. Start by just taking the stairs when you can rather than the elevator – walking is very relaxing and one of the mos beneficial habits that you can build into your life and build upon to lose weight. When you’re at work – go for a walk. At home? Go for a walk! Start with short ones and grow them when time permits, and when you feel up to it. Walking can become one of the best parts of your day – and it will help you lose weight.