We can probably all stand to lose at least 10 pounds, but what if you are seriously overweight or obese and need to lose 50 pounds or more? It may seem almost impossible, especially if youapostropheve tried before and gave up too quickly.
Read these tips to help build the motivation you need to try and try again: 1. Each time you try and fail is one step closer to succeeding in your efforts. Most of us have tried to lose weight at least once and not reached the finish line but it is no reason to give up! When you recognize your own unique internal triggers to overeating, making excuses for not exercising and making wrong food choices, you put yourself in a better position to overcome the challenge. While there are many strategies that work for different people, there are strategies that will work for you, specifically. There are common techniques that have been proven to work well for most people like writing down your weight loss goals in detail (e.g. I will lose 5 pounds by October 15), keeping a food log and eating your food from smaller plate to name a few.
2. If you are severely overweight or obese, even walking can be painful at times due to the added stress placed on the knee and ankle joints. You find yourself in a bind--it hurts to walk but you need to walk to lose the weight! You will find that doing short bouts of walking -if done consistently and often-will be the catalyst to help you lose the weight AND help with the pain. Even if you can only walk for 10 minutes, DO IT!
3. Maintaining motivation is crucial for long-term success. When you first start out, you will be easily rewarded as you start to see the scale moving weekly, your clothing sizes get smaller and the complements wonapostrophet stop. But as the rate of your weight loss diminishes, your motivation must be driven by an internal desire to have better health. You should continually remind yourself of why you started and even list the reasons why you should continue and refer to the list often. Relying on others for external motivation is also a great strategy---a personal trainer, your personal doctor or an exercise buddy might be helpful for you. Often the drill sergeant type will kick you in gear and keep you there.
4. If your doctor has recommended weight loss surgery for you, it is probably a viable option especially if you are at risk for serious illnesses like diabetes, metabolic disorder or heart complications. This recommendation may come up if you have a BMI over 40 or a BMI over 35 with a related medical problem. Obviously you will want to do your research to learn about the pros and cons of the surgery before spending the money. However, if you donapostrophet have the budget for surgery, good oleapostrophe proper nutrition and exercise is the answer.
About the author:
Kim Farmer is a Personal Trainer and Clinical Exercise Specialist working in the Denver Metro area. She can be reached at 720-436-3899 or kfarmer@milehighfitness.com. Visit her website at at www.milehighfitness.com.