Title:

8 Ways To Create Balance To Achieve Lasting Weight Loss

Word Count:
1124

Summary:
Need to lose weight? Dreading the thought of another diet program? You don�t have
to follow diets to lose weight. There are many people discovering this for
themselves and they are the ones who are finding long term weight loss apposed to
short term fixes. The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you
eat, what you think, and what activity you do. It is not about following a perfect
plan. It is impossible to be perfect every day! Finding the right balance he...

Keywords:
weight loss, increase metabolism, wellness, health, fitness, diet

Article Body:
Need to lose weight? Dreading the thought of another diet program? You don�t have
to follow diets to lose weight. There are many people discovering this for
themselves and they are the ones who are finding long term weight loss apposed to
short term fixes. The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you
eat, what you think, and what activity you do. It is not about following a perfect
plan. It is impossible to be perfect every day! Finding the right balance helps you
to decrease your calorie intake, increase your metabolism and keeps the self-
sabotage at bay. Here are 8 steps to bring more balance into all corners of your
life so you too can find weight loss success.

1. Eat more frequently during the day-

Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can have a negative impact on your
metabolism and results in overeating later in the day. It�s best to have 3 small
meals and 1-2 snacks throughout the day. You will feel more satisfied and eat less.
Plan to have a snack or meal every 4-5 hours.

2. Watch portion sizes-

Appropriate portion sizes are still quite misunderstood. Most Americans are eating
2-3 times the recommended portion sizes. Limit your grains, cereals, pastas, and
rice to � - 1 cup serving sizes. Keep meat, poultry and fish to 4-ounce portion
sizes. Restaurants are notorious for giving extremely large servings of food. Keep
this in mind when eating out. Eat half of the food on your plate or take the rest
home for lunch the next day. Studies show that when people are given large portion
sizes, they eat up to 56% more calories without realizing it. To add insult to
injury, our portion sizes are larger than they have ever been. Start to become more
aware of the portions you are served wherever you are.

3. Eat the right fats-

Yes some fat is important. Omega 3 fatty acids are an important strategy for weight
loss success and yet most Americans are not eating enough of these healthy fats.
Some reports show these fatty acids may be helpful in increasing your metabolism.
They are also shown to be a wonderful mood supporter and people report
significantly less food cravings and triggers to eat when they incorporate omega 3
fatty acids on a daily basis. This is especially important for any emotional eaters
out there. Omega 3�s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, cod; they
are also found in canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds.

4. Increase fruits and vegetables-

Fruits and vegetables are not only packed with important vitamins, minerals, and
antioxidants, they are also loaded in fiber and low in calories. Include 5-8 fruits
and vegetables every day. This is one of the most important diet changes you can
make. When you fill your plate up with fruits and vegetables you eat less of the
higher calorie foods. For example, let�s take a sample steak dinner.

Original meal:
8 ounce steak
Whole baked potato with fixings
� cup steamed broccoli

Meal Makeover:
4 ounce steak
� baked potato with fixings
� cup steamed broccoli
Side salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp light vinaigrette dressing

By changing the balance of this meal to include more vegetables while decreasing
the steak and potato we saved approximately 350 calories. Saving 350 calories daily
can result in almost a 1 pound weight loss per week. Small changes are the key.

5. Eat when you�re hungry, stop when you�re full-

Our bodies have an innate weight management mechanism. It performs this task by
making you feel full when it is time to stop eating. Every time you eat past full
you are taking in more calories than your body needs which will result in weight
gain. Start to become more aware of your internal cues for hunger and satiety
(fullness). You will be amazed how many times you wait too long to eat and how
often you eat past full and enter into stuffed. It�s common for all of us to do
this from time to time. However, it�s time to check in with yourself and see how
often you are falling into these food patterns. Listen to your body, it will tell
you when you are physically ready for food and when you are ready to stop.

6. Exercise regularly-
I know, this isn�t anything you haven�t heard before but it is a crucial part of
weight management. It is important to engage in regular aerobic and weight bearing
activity. The aerobic exercise helps you to burn the fat and weight bearing
activity increases your metabolic rate. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than
fat. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By
adding three to five pounds of muscle you could actually burn 100 - 250 additional
calories a day. This combination of aerobic and weight bearing activity is what
really kicks weight loss into gear.

7. Limit sugar-
Sugar becomes a major issue for many people wanting to lose weight. Not only does
it add calories, it also causes insulin spikes leading you to store more calories
as fat, it stimulates your appetite, and is a major food trigger for emotional
eaters. However, it doesn�t mean you need to go all or nothing. When people try to
omit all sugar from their diet they can become obsessed about sugary foods and end
up in a binge. Find the right balance for sugar. Avoid daily use of sugar and
instead have some guiltless treats once in awhile. A little cake at a birthday
party or some ice-cream with friends is a good way to incorporate sugar once in
awhile to avoid the negative outcomes.

8. Pamper yourself regularly-

Who wants to argue with that?! The reality is many people eat for emotional
reasons. Food makes us feel good on many levels. The problem occurs when eating
becomes the only coping mechanism your subconscious knows of. This is why that
pesky urge to emotionally eat is so strong. It is hard to reason your way out of
it. For many people food is the only thing they know that makes them feel better.
When you start to do other things that make you feel good on a regular basis such
as taking a hot bath, going for a walk, having a hot cup of tea; then your
subconscious starts to register these activities as coping mechanisms as well. Over
time this will decrease the constant urge to use food. You can�t expect to have a
bad day, go take a bath and not have an urge to eat. It is something you need to do
regularly and something you truly enjoy so your subconscious starts to recognize it
as a new choice.

� 2005, Meri Raffetto