The majority of Americans are overweight. While a few extra pounds won’t cause serious health issues, people who carry around 50 pounds or more of excess weight face long-term consequences like increased risk of heart attack, diabetes and premature weight. If you’ve decided to embark on a weight-loss journey but you’re wondering how to get started with losing a lot of weight, follow these steps.
Eat Healthy Foods First
Try to start your meals with healthy, high-fiber vegetables. You can fill up on as many servings of baked sweet potato or salads (but go easy on the dressing and cheese) as you want. Then, when you turn to breads, meats and other high-calorie foods, you’ll naturally eat smaller portions.
Drink Water and Low-Calorie Drinks
You can also keep yourself feeling full by drinking plenty of water, including flavored water, teas and low-calorie drink mixes. Try to enjoy a big glass 20 to 30 minutes before eating; the fluid intake will help reduce the amount you eat.
Right Types of Exercise
No one is expecting you to run a marathon tomorrow. In fact, pushing yourself too hard might be counterproductive; if you injure yourself, you won’t be able to exercise at all. Instead, look for low-impact forms of exercise, such as swimming, walking or gentle yoga. You can find online exercise videos for people of all fitness levels, including exercises you can perform while still in bed, especially if you have access to durable medical equipment, like the products sold by Joerns Healthcare, that can help you sit up or stand up.
Mindset Changes
Changing your relationship with food can have a drastic impact on your health. If you eat as a way of coping with negative motions or distracting yourself, consider a more mindful approach. Eating slowly and deliberately, savoring flavors instead of eating rapidly and forgiving yourself for occasional food-related lapses can help you build a healthier lifestyle. A meta-review of multiple studies found that mindful eating led to sustained weight loss, according to Healthline.com. Best of all, you can start eating mindfully for free: pay attention to your body and stop eating when you feel full, think about how your food choices will impact your weight-loss goals and take a little extra time to enjoy your meals.
Your weight loss journey can begin whenever you’re ready. Small changes can lead to big results over time, especially if you follow these low-effort steps for a healthier lifestyle.