5 Best Strategies to Lose a Lot of Weight
5 Best Strategies to Lose a Lot of Weight
So what if you have a lot to lose? Losing 30 pounds may not be the same or as easy as trying to lose 5 pounds but the challenge can really put you on a super mode. Besides, your success will also be big if you lose big time especially when it becomes very noticeable. The transformation is going to be dramatic in comparison to those who just trimmed down a bit. Even the body will be more apt for change when it is far from its ideal weight as it becomes more adaptable. A Cell Metabolism research published in 2016 supports this contention, indicating that the first 5% of the weight that you lose has the greatest health benefits especially for people with obesity.
However, a good majority of those who try to lose weight encounter a plateau where the numbers just don’t budge. It is not due to lack of dedication or hard work though but is a result of pure biology. You will notice that as you get nearer your weight loss target, every next-5-pounds is going to be a bigger percentage of your body weight and is thus going to be harder to shed off. You see, when you weigh heavier, your metabolic rate is also faster. And so, the bigger engine which is your body will tend to burn more calories than the slimmer version, putting you at a huge advantage even when you do have a lot to lose.
Experts have found however that losing as much as 100 pounds is not going to be the same for everybody. There are those whose metabolic rates go slower instead of faster. Board member, Dr. Ethan Lazarus of the Obesity Medicine Association explains that when you lose a lot of weight, the body will consider the new weight as abnormal and will then activate its survival mechanisms in order to regain what was lost by dropping your metabolic rate. This is backed by several studies including the one on the “Biggest Loser” participants. Apparently, their metabolism dropped while their hunger increased over the last 6 years since they have lost weight. So how do you ensure that you won’t fail in your big weight loss goals? Here are 5 of the best strategies from top obesity specialists and scientific journals:
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Do what’s doable
Trying to drop sizes is already a challenging feat and you don’t want to make it even more impossible for you to achieve. You have to choose weight loss strategies that are doable for you and not those which worked for others but seems difficult for you. It has to be as highly customized as possible based on your physical capacity and will power to implement in your program. So while you can learn from others about what is most effective, at the end of the day, you have to go for what is most doable and thus most effective in your case. It has to fit your lifestyle or you will not be able to last long.
Research has demonstrated that it doesn’t matter what kind of diet program you get into – whether its the Atkins, South Beach, Paleo, or Mediterranean diet. What you can stick to consistently for a long period of time is the one that you should choose. Director of the Medical Weight Loss of New York, Dr. Wendy Scinta agrees that your preference and lifestyle should be of utmost consideration so go for what fits you naturally without having to adjust or accommodate too much. In this way, you can make huge leaps and bounds in your weight loss journey.
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Build your workout around your confidence
Just like your diet plan, your workout of choice should be centered around what you feel is most comfortable for you. You do not have to go boxing if you are not that confident and can always go for yoga if that’s going to be more interesting for you. A review finding of the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise suggests that your confidence level when it comes to your ability to be regularly active is a very reliable predictor of how much you will stay true to your exercise routine.
For instance, working out at the gym is what you want to do but you feel intimidated by others there who may already be fit and looking good. While you can try other options, those other options may not motivate you enough to exercise regularly. So what you need to change is not the kind of exercise but your mindset where you are determined to go to the gym no matter what because it is what you feel you are most confident with. When you get over that and just go to the gym, you will realize that others don’t really care about how you look as they are busy working on themselves too. If that fails, you can always work out at home first with your very own trainer on a DVD player or stream Beachbody on Demand workouts for that private but productive session.
So while in your living room, work on your agility, coordination, and flexibility until you are able to build confidence in your physical abilities. Keep burning those fats and build your muscles so that in time, you will be able to hit it with others in the gym. Now, this is sure to make you stick to this kind of exercise for the long run.
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Make small but steady first-steps
You don’t have to change overnight and suddenly become a religious fitness fanatic. What will make a real difference are the small but significant changes that you make here and there that matter the most. Think of it as a kind of low-hanging fruit that you can easily change but has the biggest impact on your slimming goals. Think little deeds such as preparing and cooking your own health food, walking to work, lessening your soda consumption, or replacing a meal with Shakeology daily towards healthy weight loss. Keep doing them everyday, build a routine, and make them a habit.
When you start with these small switches, you are not only preparing yourself for that lifetime transformation but they will also make you feel more confident about your ability to keep it going and see it through. You will feel highly motivated by your little successes enough to make you reach higher for bigger goals. The confidence will build up and make you believe in yourself that no matter how big you need to lose, you can do it for sure.
For starters, you can consider the newest nutrition plan from Beachbody called the 2B Mindset. It was a registered dietitian and nutritionist by the name of Ilana Muhlstein who helped in creating the program based on her own experience being overweight at more than a hundred pounds. She was able to lose that hundred pounds and kept them off by following a healthy eating approach where one feels full and satisfied. She also made use of strategies that helped in realistically dealing with real-world challenges with food that most individuals face including satisfying cravings and anticipating setbacks that can happen in the future.
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Eat just enough to feel full
Apparently, what happens during your weight loss is that you will have lowered levels of the hormones cholecytokinin and GLP-1 that are released in the small intestine to signal fullness and satisfaction. What’s even more challenging is that the hunger hormones called ghrelin are at higher levels at this time. Because of this, it is important that you do not keep eating after you feel full because you still enjoy the food. You have to be conscious about what your body is telling you and eat only for satiety.
In this case, following a diet primarily rich in protein as well as healthy fats is the way to go as these two trigger the release of satiety hormones and help you prevent eating too much. Remember though that both protein and fats take approximately twenty minutes to get to the small intestine to stimulate endocrine release. This is where eating slowly and deliberately helps a lot because you will be able to easily notice it when you already feel full and stop eating right there and then. This is also one of the reasons why you are discouraged from eating while doing something else or while watching a movie because you will tend to miss out the signs of fullness.
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Make yourself primarily accountable
Nobody else is going to be responsible for your weight loss and consequent healthiness than yourself. And, the more accountable you are, the more pounds you will be able to strip off and make it stay that way for good. Evidence-based research backs this up and has found effective ways by which to boost both accountability and weight loss results.
For instance, keeping a food diary may sound boring but being able to track what you eat and see it with your own eyes increases your accountability. The same goes for a workout diary – it will boost accountability to your weight loss goals. Getting support from other individuals who are going through the same journey as you are also works especially when you are motivated by how others see you and what their opinion of you is. Social support is of utmost importance when you loose weight initially as well as in the long haul.
Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, 21 Day FIX®, Insanity, P90X® and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today!
