How to Lose Weight, Stay Thin, or Maintain Weight

If you're happy with your weight, that's great! All you need to do is to maintain it. If you would like to lose a few pounds, then you need a few extra steps before you can work on maintaining your weight. Of course, losing weight isn't always for the appearance, even though that is a nice incentive to lose weight. Losing weight will often let you be healthier and more energetic, giving you the stamina to do activities that you otherwise may not be able to do.

See a physician to help you lose weight or maintain weight. See a physician to make sure that you are in a healthy enough situation to lose weight, or to see if the weight that you want to maintain is reasonable. See if there are any types of exercises that your physician recommends that you not do. Ask him what would be a good goal for yourself.

Resolve to get thinner. If you would like to get thinner, resolve to do so. Do not let anything stand in your way. Once you have resolved to do so, then other steps will come naturally.

Eat homemade food over outside food to help you lose weight or maintain weight. Food cooked in restaurants or fast food places definitely have more oil or unhealthy oil and grease than food that you cook yourself at home. Learn how to cook well. There are literally tons of recipes to choose from. Enjoy your cooking, and choose the ingredients that you would like to reflect your weight. For example, use less butter, condiments, or other fatty ingredients. Don't deep fry your foods so much. Use healthier cooking oil. However, do cook something that you would enjoy; otherwise, if the food at home is so tasteless, you may just decide to splurge on the rare occasion that you do go out, and that may ruin your several weeks of eating at home. If you must eat outside, try to avoid greasy foods such as fries or chips. Eat a fruit salad, a vegetable salad, or perhaps just have a small drink. Note that soft drinks have a lot of sugar, and that can also turn into fat if you have excess sugar in your body.

Please eat if you are hungry. You do not want to become someone with anorexia nervosa, where you lose all appetite and your body cannot take in any more food. Take note of signs that your body tells you. If you feel thirsty drink. Do not deprive yourself of necessary vitamins and cofactors. Eat a balanced diet, and do not be too choosy about what you eat. Just simply minimize on the "junk" food, which is just that.

Exercise regularly. Set up a regular exercise schedule. Do what works for you. If you are too lazy to go outside, then at least consider buying yourself some type of exercise machine such as an exercise bike where you can ride it while watching TV. Do something that you like so that you will continue doing it. Of course, feel free to vary your exercise routine if you get bored with the usual exercises. Simply going out and walking every morning for 45 minutes can also do wonders for your health and weight.

Monitor your weight. One of the most effective ways of attaining any goal is to monitor the target. Buy a balance and monitor your weight. You don't need to monitor it every day, but once in a while when you're in the mood, put yourself on the balance and see how the target weight is coming along. Another effective way of monitoring your weight is perhaps looking at your tummy, or looking at your face in front of the mirror. If you feel that you are starting to get fat again, eat a little bit less and a little bit more healthy. If you feel that you are losing too much weight, eat more.

Replace food with some other fun activity. Some people eat when they are stress, or use it as a form of stress relief. At the very least, the reason people eat is that they enjoy eating. They enjoy eating the food. Therefore, an effective strategy to counter this problem is to replace food with an enjoyable activity. If you do not have one, try to find one. Perhaps watching TV would be a good replacement, or perhaps talking to someone on the phone, or perhaps surfing the internet. It does not necessarily need to be exercise because you may not enjoy doing exercise. Just find something fun that you will immerse yourself into instead of immersing yourself into the food.

Do not eat snacks when trying to lose weight. Decide how many meals you would like to eat each day and stick with it. Generally between 3-5 meals a day is reasonable. Do not start munching on snacks while you are watching TV. Do not eat a chocolate while you are in the middle of working. Instead, schedule all the food that you would like to eat during the meal times that you have set each day. Also try to maintain those meal times because it gives your body a sense of rhythm. You should also probably not eat too much before going to bed if you do schedule a meal before bedtime because you may not digest the food well.  In fact, even after you have lost your weight, is it best not to get back into the habit of eating snacks because you may just gain that weight back.

Take it slowly when you try to lose weight.  It is better to take it more easily than lose too much weight too quickly.  That's why it's a good idea to stay in touch with a physician during your weight loss or weight maintenance program.  Don't do anything drastic to yourself, and be realistic about what you can accomplish and how you accomplish it.

Losing or maintaining your weight has many health advantages.  Take advantage of the current knowledge about the various risk factors that high body weight causes and commit to be fit.

In summary, to lose weight, stay thin, or maintain weight,

A. See a physician.

B. Resolve to get thinner.

C. Eat homemade food over outside food.

D. Please eat if you are hungry.

E. Exercise regularly.

F. Monitor your weight.

G. Replace food with some other fun activity.

H. Do not eat snacks.

I. Take it slowly.

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