Replace Bad Habits for Better Weight Control

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Achieving and maintaining a steady weight becomes easier when you incorporate a healthy diet into your lifestyle. This includes consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and a moderate amount of unsaturated fats, meat, and dairy. Don’t forget to focus on portion control and prioritize foods from all food groups, and you can achieve and maintain a healthy weight while nourishing your body. Having strong feelings of hunger all the time is simply not a sustainable.

Despite the many diet plans out there, ultimately it boils down to the calories you consume versus the calories you burn through activity. However, small changes like replacing empty calories can make a big impact when it comes to losing weight. By nourishing your body with the right balance of protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, you can fulfill your nutritional needs without the risk of rebound weight gain. Better food choices can have a positive impact on vital health markers.

How to Make Smarter Choices

Keeping track of your daily exercise and dietary intake can help you plan ahead by making smarter food choices and adjustments to your exercise routine. Benefits of tracking food and exercise habits include:

1) Increased self-awareness – If you're more self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, and align your behavior with your goals for losing weight and healthy living.

2) Monitor your habits – Research has shown that people who monitor their habits for losing weight were all more likely to improve their overall health than those who didn’t.

3) Improve accountability – Accountability goes further than being responsible for your actions. You also take ownership of the long-term outcomes of managing your new food and exercise habits.

4) Reflect on changes needed – Journaling can be especially useful for those who struggle with weight management. Reflecting on changes that are routinely can be a key to achieving long-term success.

Exercise and Sleep are Important Too

While nutrition is the primary focus of initial weight loss efforts, exercise shouldn't be overlooked. Staying active provides benefits like improved mood, better sleep, and increased energy levels for more sustainable long-term results. Remember, your health and well-being are not solely determined by calories. Your body requires vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for optimal functioning. Don't get caught up in just counting calories and forget about exercise and sleep.

Exercise is crucial for weight loss because it helps increase the number of calories your body uses for energy. When you burn more calories than you consume, you'll lose weight. By eating right and exercising regularly, you can achieve a 5 to 7 percent weight loss. The recommendation for all adults is to be active every day and aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week. Alternatively, you can opt for 75 minutes of intense exercise.