Wouldn't it be nice"
You want to lose weight and maintain the weight loss once you have shed the desired number of pounds. Fair enough. Okay then, let's begin.

First I'll say a few magic words and then I'll recite a couple of weight-loss incantations. It is best to do this beneath a full moon. Next is the pounds-be-gone secret weight-loss dance and then, finally, the sprinkling of an ancient potion that our ancestors used to lose weight back in the day when painting on cave walls was all the rave. That's it. We're done. Simple, wasn't it?

Back to reality"

Okay then, let's begin.

The Reality of Weight Loss
The premise for weight loss is simple enough: A person who consumes less calories than she burns is going to lose weight. While this is pretty straightforward and sounds something like a Sunday afternoon in the park, the truth is that the work involved can be a heavy lift. Most people prefer easy, and that is understandable. It also my help explain the current obesity epidemic. But before we experience the intensity of weight loss, simple can be the point where we begin.

Getting Started
Begin with strategies that are easily accomplished and can be real confidence builders. For instance, having 1% or 2% milk instead of whole milk has dividends. It is not a 100 lb. weight-loss plan, but every bit helps.

When eating, savor the foods and flavors. Mindless eating leads to shoveling spoonfuls into your mouth with little or no thought to what you are doing. Also,** control your portions**. Bigger is not better in this case.

Get some fresh fruit and lots of fresh vegetables into your diet. To be direct, most processed foods are junk. Even minimally processed fruits and vegetables are substandard when compared to the fresh product.

Incorporate exercise into your daily activities. I am not suggesting that you join a gym and get a personal trainer -- although a gym at some point may be something to consider. For now, take some walks or do some light exercise.

Start a food journal. Knowing your habits and monitoring yourself is important.

A Brief Word About Maintenance
Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. We must first shed the pounds. Having acknowledged that, a brief peek at maintenance will not harm.

The University of Colorado has a program that tracks people who have lost 30 lbs. or more and kept it off for a minimum of one year. They found that these success stories have common themes such as limitation of calorie intake to about 1,400 per day, restricting fat to about 24 percent of calorie intake, beginning the day with breakfast, eating a variety of foods and staying away from fad diets, exercising, keeping a food journal, and weighing themselves regularly.

There will definitely be a measure of labor and discipline involved as you begin and continue your personal weight loss and maintenance efforts. The reward is a long and healthy life.

Living life well-fed,** My Bariatric Lifee shareposts from MyBariatricLife on HealthCentral

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MedicineNet.com