A successful weight-loss programme such can assist with weight loss and help people to adopt a healthier lifestyle, encouraging good behaviours that might make you both lose the weight safely and more importantly, keep the weight off. It is important that whatever weight-loss program you choose offers full support on your weight loss journey. Check for these features in any weight-loss program you are thinking about trying.
Realistic Weight-Loss Goals
Effective weight-loss programmes will help you to set personalised realistic goals for your weight loss. Medical experts suggest that an initial goal weight-loss in the first 6 months should be 5 per cent to 10 per cent of your starting weight. If you weigh 200 lb, your goal can be to lose approximately 10 lb in the first 6 months.
A Low Calorie Healthy Eating Plan
The fact is, those that are successful in assisting people to lose weight and keep it off do so by offering guidance and support to help you adapt to a calorie-restricted healthy eating plan.
Wherever the science takes us, there are a number of eating and drinking plans that can help to support weight loss, however, not every plan will work for you and different ones may be more or less compatible. What we know is that the best plan is the one that is science-based, that is optimised to your health, your cultural needs and preferences, and your values, and one that you will be able to stick with over the long-term.
Physical Activity Plan
Find out if the program you are interested in offers ways to help you be more physically active. Your weight-loss programme should include a plan for getting regular physical exercise. How much activity and what type you do depends on your individual health and physical ability. While higher levels of physical activity aren’t likely to make a big contribution to your own weight-loss efforts, they do have an important health benefit that isn’t dependent on weight loss. Some people might, over time, work up to 150 minutes or more a week of aerobic activity (jogging, dancing, swimming, biking, etc), or anything that gets your breathing and your heart rate up. For many people, physical activity may help them keep off any weight they do lose.
Guidance and Support for Adopting Healthy Habits
Proven weight-loss programmes support you in setting clear goals and tracking your progress in developing healthy lifestyle habits. The program should provide:
- Monitoring your eating and drinking each day, monitoring your sleep each day, monitoring your activity each day, weighing yourself each week.
- Advice or counselling on how to set and maintain healthy lifestyle habits, including goal setting, overcoming barriers and relapses.
- Regular feedback, monitoring, and support throughout the programme–face-to-face, by telephone, online, or a mix of the above methods.
- The option of social support from a group.
- A plan for keeping the weight off.
Summary
Keeping weight off is far from easy, especially as you get older. It’s important to keep up with the new changes of habit changes that led to the weight loss. Goals that can help you to stay off can include:
- Following an appropriate eating plan for your new weight.
- Getting 150 to 300 minutes or more of physical activity per week.
- Monitoring your weight at least once a week.
Look for a programme that has had numerous success stories and offers post-weight loss support, perhaps counselling, to keep the weight off.
