The Science Says 15,000 Steps a Day to Shed Weight

Recent studies suggest that monitoring your daily food intake and physical activities can help develop a sense of accountability, which is considered to be a cornerstone of behavioral weight loss therapies.

Focusing on the creation of long-term lifestyle habits that you can stick with over time will go a long way in improving your health and providing for lasting weight loss. Making good food choices does require some effort.

As you create a personalized menu plan, you must consider how you can reduce hunger while keeping your appetite satisfied. If not, lasting weight loss is less likely.

Replace Unproven Strategies with Simple Tips

With more than half of Americans expressing a desire to lose weight, there is an ocean of misinformation available online. Ditch unproven approaches and focus your efforts on science-based tips like the ones listed below:

1) Eat More Whole Foods – Even though most food products are minimally processed, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes, meat, fish, and whole grains are all healthy food choices.

2) Add More Steps – Studies suggest that 10,000 steps a day, which is around sixty minutes of exercise, has proven successful for supporting long-lasting weight loss. To lose weight, the science recommends a goal of fifteen thousand steps.

3) Avoid Liquid Calories – Scientific evidence suggests food intake is perceived differently by the brain than the liquid calories that you consume when it comes to triggering the production and release of appetite hormones.

4) Enforce Kitchen Policies – If your kitchen is always open, you may be unaware of the food decisions you make every day. Keep healthy foods on the counter and close your kitchen between meals.

People too often only use a bathroom scale to gauge weight loss progress. That’s because traditional weight loss plans place too much emphasis on hitting lower numbers at set intervals rather than shedding fat and retaining fat-burning muscle.

Seek Support for Problems as They Arise

Traditional forms of dieting automatically trigger your body to prepare for famine by resting your metabolism to survive periods with less food. In turn, this reduces the number of calories your body burns every day. If you are losing weight without changing your diet or exercise routine, it is important to speak with a medical specialist to have it checked out. Problems with digestion and health conditions like type 2 diabetes can trigger weight loss.

Science suggests individuals who regain lost weight often belong to a group that did not see any point in participating in a program for long-term weight maintenance, since they believe they know the secret for shedding pounds. Learning how to identify and anticipate problems that threaten to undermine your long-term goals for healthy living can be crucial for positive outcomes. Seek the support you need to resolve problems as they arise.