Weight loss has become mainstream media over the past 20 years, if not longer. Everyone wants to know how to lose weight fast, keep the weight off, and the easiest ways to stay fit. Everyone wants to jump on the "next big thing" and hope that there train will come rolling in. The sad truth is that most of these people fail to lose weight. If they do, they can't keep it off for very long.
Why is that? Well, for starters, weight loss isn't a temporary solution. Since being chronically overweight or obese is a long term problem, weight loss needs to be viewed as a long term solution.
Did you or your child put on an extra ten pounds at one meal? What about one Christmas dinner? (well, that one might be possible, but hopefully not likely).
If you or your child didn't gain all the weight in one sitting, what makes you think you can lose it all that fast?
Common sense dictates that problems created over a period of time need to be solved over a similar period of time.
Do you see now why we are targeting childhood obesity? We want to minimize the amount of time people are overweight and at risk for various health issues related to obesity. So if your child has only been overweight for a year or so, we can help to bring them back to the healthy weight in the same period of time, or much shorter depending on your efforts and determination.
If on the other hand an adult has been overweight for 15 years, then their weight loss process will take considerably longer.
The reason? Well, simply put, they have spent the past 15 years developing bad habits that now need to be broken and ideas about food that need to be reversed. Are we saying it will take just as long to lose the weight as it did to put it on?
Absolutely Not! However, it will take longer if you or your child has been overweight for a longer period of time. A good rule of thumb to get back into acceptable shape is one-two months of healthy living for every year of unhealthy living. So, if your child has been overweight for just a year, it will take only two months to get them back down to the proper weight and size. That is, of course, assuming that all the proper steps are followed.
There are three main steps that need to be adhered to in order to get to a healthy weight and stay there.
The three P's are:
- Patience
- Planning and
- Persistence
Patience: This isn't a race. You aren't competing against the neighbor's kids to get your kid in fighting shape by the next wrestling match. Instead, you need to focus on pacing yourself and your child so that the goal of weight loss can be achieved. You want your child to understand the value of patience in everything, and you need to understand that by being patient you are more likely to withstand the downturns when they come and bounce back.
Planning: Just throwing caution to the wind and picking up food at a whim is what got your child where he is today. Planning will take all of the guess work out of what you need to stock in the house so that the weight loss will be automatic. I gained 20 pounds after getting out of the Navy, and I felt gross. When you leave a regimented lifestyle and just pick out whatever sounds appetizing for the moment, you lose. No one can win without a plan. You've heard the term "Failing to plan is like planning to fail" right? Well it's no different here. You absolutely need to plan how to go about losing weight (you and your kids). We are here to help.
Persistence: Persistence is needed in order to see the plan through to completion. Without persistence you are going to fail. Nothing in life comes easy, whether you would like to think so or not. This is especially true in weight loss. Even Kirstie Alley wasn't able to lose all of her love handles in one try, nor was it immediate. She implemented the three P's and lost weight (at least the first time).
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Short term goals
The best way to feel as though you are making progress in any endeavor is to make short term goals.
How short? Well, that depends on you. Do you forget what you had planned for the day by lunch time? In that case, make daily and weekly goals. You can also set biweekly, monthly, and yearly goals.
An example of how to make a weekly goal would be:
- Instead of trying to get your child down three sizes in the next month, focus on how to get them eating fewer calories in the next week.
- Don't go out for fast food or pizza this week
- Make lunches for your child for every day of the week
- Make a weekly dinner meal plan that you can actually implement
- Go for a 30 minute walk every evening after dinner
For monthly goals, try these out:
- Only go out for dinner four times this month (that includes fast food, pizza, and dine in type restaurants)
- Take part in an outdoor activity as a family every weekend
- Turn a nightly walk into a run once a week for the next month
- Read one book on weight loss and fitness
- Join a new group activity that you haven't done before and attend the classes for one straight month (this can be the YMCA, a yoga class, dance class, martial arts, etc. Make it tailored to your child's likes and dislikes)
Goals need to be specific and attainable. You don't want your goal to be "Lose two inches this month." You can have that thought, or even overall long term goal, but you need to have short term goals that drive you towards that end. If your short term goal is too broad, you won't be able to focus on smaller things that get you there. Your short term goals need to be small, focused, and attainable. Don't make them easy goals, push the envelope a little, but don't make them unattainable either.
For instance, don't make a goal of losing ten pounds this week. Instead, make a goal of reducing your caloric intake by 100 calories daily. This will aid in losing those ten pounds down the road, but it won't happen over night.
Remember:
- Patience
- Planning and
- Persistence
Keeping these 3 P's in mind, you will get where you want to be, and so will your children!
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