10 Steps to effective weight loss

If you're overweight, losing a few kilograms would benefit your health and boost your self-esteem. Here are 10 steps to effective weight loss... 

1. Set moderate, achievable weight-loss goals 

Research from Indiana University in Indianapolis shows that many people think they have to drop 25 to 50 kilograms - a belief that sets them up for failure. Rather, try starting with a reasonable goal like losing five kilograms. Doctors say that this kind of moderate weight loss still has a beneficial effect on diabetes and if you reach this goal, you’ll have the determination to lose another five kilograms! 

2. Know your Body Mass Index (BMI)

To find out whether your body weight falls within the range of normal, overweight, or obese, consult an online BMI calculator.

3. Find a weight-loss friend

Dieting with a friend provides more than support and can help you lose more weight, according to a recent Brown University study of 109 people and their dieting partners. Those with a motivated partner lost nearly twice as much weight as those who dieted solo! 

4. Join a weight-loss group

When researchers at Columbia University in New York assigned 413 overweight and obese men and women to either a self-help programme in which they met twice with a nutritionist and then followed a programme on their own, they found that those going on the programme lost more after two years than those who dieted alone. 

5. Pair calorie-cutting with exercise

People who exercise as well as cut calories have an easier time losing weight and keeping it off than people who just cut calories. Burning an extra two hundred and fifty calories a day knocks off about 13 kilograms a year, as long as you don’t replace those calories with food.

6. Eat breakfast

Fibre helps you stay full for longer and a good way to get a healthy dose is to eat a breakfast cereal that contains at least five grams of fibre per serving. In addition, studies show that eating breakfast helps you consume less food later in the day and thus you will consume fewer total calories.

7. Aim to lose weight slowly

Make small adjustments to your eating patterns and habits as well as physical activity. Don’t let fad diet advertisements trick you with “miracle” plans. Researchers say that people who achieve weight loss in such programmes typically gain back most or all of the weight within five years.

Make lifestyle changes that will keep the weight off permanently, even if it means slower weight loss. Crash diets that deprive you of essential nutrients can be very dangerous.

8. Ask a registered dietitian to design an eating plan for you

A registered dietitian is trained to help you set reasonable calorie goals and make sure that you’re getting the vitamins and minerals you need to help you manage your diabetes.

9. Keep a food diary for five days

Log everything you eat and drink for five days. Entries should include the time of day, size and number of servings and what emotions you were feeling at the time or any other circumstances that happened just before you ate.

Food diaries are eye-openers for many people because so many of us eat without thinking about it. Review your food diary with your registered dietitian - he or she will help you identify situations or emotions that may cause you to overeat.

10. Supplement with calcium

Losing weight can trigger bone loss so make sure you’re supplementing with calcium to prevent osteoporosis. Choose a calcium supplement that also contains vitamin D. Speak to your doctor for assistance. 

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