weightloss ebook

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Your Guide toLong-Term Weight Loss



Losing Weight the Right Way

The road to weight management is a long-term commitment. Many people looking to drop weight hope to

do so quickly, regardless of the length of time it took to put on the pounds. Losing weight safely and effectively, however, requires time, patience, and dedication. The number of pounds you can safely lose at a tim

depends on your current weight. Making modications to your diet along with increasing your daily physica

activity can help you safely achieve and maintain your ideal weight.

Before embarking on a weight-loss journey, discuss your goals with your doctor. He or she can also explai

some of the big benets of reducing your amount of body fat, especially around your middle.



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Fitness for Your Heart

A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk

factors for heart disease. Fortunately, you can do

something about it. Regular exercise, especially

your heart, but for your bones, balance, and overall

well-being.

Below are some cardio-friendly exercise ideas.

1. Brisk walking. If it's been awhile since you've

been physically active, you'll want to start slow.

minutes at night is a great beginning. Research

shows that walking for just a couple hours a week

can decrease your risk of heart attack or stroke by

as much as 30 percent, though many expertsrecommend building up to a 30-to-60-minute walk

health.

2. Jogging. Once you're ready for a greater chal-

lenge than a brisk walk provides, jogging is prob-

ably the next logical step. A study out of Stanford

University School of Medicine reveals that running

but can also push back the hands of time, allowing

their inactive peers.

3. Jumping rope.

but there are plenty of reasons to include

skipping rope in your workout routine. For

strong. And it can help strengthen your lungs,

too.

4. Bike riding. Leave your car at home when

running an errand, and ride a bicycle instead.

An hour-long excursion on your bike can burn

allows you to sustain an elevated heart rate

over an extended period of time.

The Importance of Stretching

With any type of physical activity, stretching is

essential. Warming up before helps prepare

your muscles for movement and may helpprevent injury. Cooling down allows your

body to recover and for your heart rate to

return to normal. Regular stretching also helps

over the long-term.



Body Mass Index (BMI) and

Waist Circumference:

This measurement assesses your body weight

relative to your height. It's a useful way of mea-

suring body composition because it correlateshighly with body fat in most people. To calculate

your exact BMI value, multiply your weight in

pounds by 703, divide by your height in inches,

then divide again by your height in inches. For

adults, a body mass index:

• Over 40 is ned as extremely obese.

• Over 30 is considered obese. People with

BMIs of 30 or more are at higher risk of cardio-

vascular disease.

• Between 25 and 29.9 is considered over-weight. People with BMIs in this range have an

increased risk of heart and blood vessel

disease.

• Between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy.

• Under 18.5 is considered underweight.

Some people with dense muscle mass may have

a high BMI score but very little body fat. For

them, it may be more accurate to choose waist

circumference or another direct method to mea-sure body fat.

To measure your waist circumference, place a

tape measurer around your waist, at the level of

your navel. Your w aist circumference is an indi-rect indicator of visceral fat. If your BMI is

greater than or equal to 25, your goal for waist

circumference is less than 40 inches if you're a

man and less than 35 inches if you're a woman.

A large waist circumference is associated with

an increased risk of disease.

Waist Circumference

Regular exercise is an important part of

long-term weight management. Exercise uses

excess calories that would otherwise be

stored as fat. Everything you eat contains

calories, and everything you do uses calories,

including sleeping, breathing, and digesting

food. Any physical activity in addition to what

you normally do will help burn extra calories,thus decreasing your BMI and waist circum-

ference.

Keep Moving



The Right Road

to Weight Loss

Now that you understand the importance of physical activity for successful weight management andimproved overall health, it’s time to talk about calorie intake. Reducing the amount of calories you ingest

each day can help you reach your goal weight.

being smart about calories and fat:

• Go for volume. It may seem counterintuitive,

but you can eat more of certain foods and still

shed pounds. Foods that get a lot of their volume

satisfying than smaller portions of foods packed

plate.

• Slow down. It takes about 20 minutes for your

brain to get the signal that your stomach is full. If

you quickly down your food, you may think

you're still hungry well before that 20 minutes is

up, making it much too easy to keep eating. Try

putting your fork down between bites. Not only

does slowing down give the brain a chance to

catch up to the stomach, it also helps you enjoythe taste and texture of what you're eating. When

you enjoy food, you'll be more likely to be satis-

• Spice things up. -

ful spices, herbs, and garnishes such as basil,

cilantro, mint, cinnamon, garlic, pepper, and

ginger. The reason? Foods that are intensely

stopping after one portion. Spices and herbs are

a great alternative to salt, too.

Try skipping one high-clorie indulgence a day.

For example, cut out that bowl of ice cream you

normally eat while watching TV, and replace it

with a cup of tea, in addition, increase your

consumptio of fruits, vegetables, and whole

grains. Also emphasize plant sources of protein,

such as beans and lentils. For other sources ofprotein, choose lean meats and seafood.



It’s one thing to commit to these dietary improvements, but following through on these promises to your-

self can be difcult. That’s where a food journal comes in.

The Food Journal Commitment

Experts believe that journaling works for several

reasons. According to Linadria Porter, author of

Change Your Habits, Change Your Life, journaling

helps people become fully aware of the amount of

food they are actually consuming in a given day,

hour, or week. "So often, eating is an unconsciousact. Keeping a log helps bring awareness to the act

because now there’s a factual document along with

accountability. It’s a valuable tool, especially for the

emotional eater."

We’ve provided a week’s worth of entries for you toll in, but you’re encouraged to print multiple

copies—remember, a healthy behavior like keeping

a food journal should be considered a long-term

habit because long-term habits reap long-term

results. And remember these important tips:

• Be complete, says Alison Massey, RD, CDE, a

Registered Dietitian at Mercy Medical Center in

Baltimore. "How the food was prepared—whether it

was fried, baked, or grilled— makes a big difference

when it comes to total calories consumed," she

says. "We often forget to count the three table-

spoons of oil that we put in the pan to roast the

vegetables that we ate for dinner." The calories in

foods such as toppings and condiments add up

quickly, too, she notes.

• Accurately document portions, Massey says.

“People tend to underestimate how much food they

are putting on their plates. This might be a good time

to get out the measuring cups to double-check your

accuracy. And don't just write down ‘chicken’ or

‘broccoli.’ Indicate in your journal how much of theseyou consumed.”

•Pinpoint and review trends. If you don't review your

journal, it's really not worth keeping it. Look over the

past day, week or month, and you’ll start to see

patterns in your hunger, satiety, and changes to your

mood. If you see that you’re snacking too often on

high fat, high-carb foods, take the time to prepare

some healthy snacks that you can eat instead.

Why Journaling Works

Find your very own Food

Journal on the next page!{ }



Time Meal, Serving Size,Water Intake Calories Grams of Fat

Breakfast

7a.m.4 egg whites, whole-wheat

English muffin, 1 cup of

coffee, 1 glass of water

68 calories

+ 120 calories

+ 2 calories

= 200 calories

0.1g of fat

+ 1g of fat

+ 0g of fat

= 1.1g of fat

Morning Snack

10 a.m.1 oz whole, raw almonds 164 calories 14.4g of fat

Lunch

12:30 p.m.

Turkey sandwhich on whole

wheat, with reduced fat

mayo, lettuce and tomato,

2 glasses of water

450 calories 15.5g of fat

Daily Activity: 1-hour workout at the gym, work, grocery shopping, cooking, 1 hour jog

My Food Journal

How Does a Food Journal Work?

A food journal, or food diary, is similar to a regular journal or diary. Instead of writing down everything

you did on a given day, you enter what you ate that day. The most effective journals are the mostcomprehensive and include the food (or drink) consumed, the time it was eaten, the amount eaten,

calories, and grams of fat. Recording your daily activity is key as well. Remember, even basic chores

get you moving and can burn calories. Here’s an exerpt from an effective journal entry.



Time

Meal, Serving Size,

Water IntakeCalories Grams of Fat

Breakfast

Morning Snack

Lunch

Afternoon Snack

Dinner

Evening Snack

Daily Activity

My Food Journal

Day



Time

Meal, Serving Size,


Breakfast

Morning Snack

Lunch

Afternoon Snack

Dinner

Evening Snack

Daily Activity

My Food Journal

Day

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