Top Weight Loss Tips for 2011
If you are like many people across the US it’s a new year and you are thinking about tackling diet and lifestyle changes to lose weight and be healthy.
Here are two top weight loss tips for you to implement this year:
1. Create an action plan.
It takes more than setting a goal to actually achieve your goal. You need to outline a plan of action. This means writing down specific steps you have to take and when/how you are going to take them to ensure you your success.
2. Be realistic.
4 Steps to Overcome a Weight Loss Plateau
Hitting weight loss plateaus are a part of the weight loss journey. Don’t let them discourage you!
Here are four areas to begin evaluating first so you can overcome this hurdle and continue losing weight:
1. Too few calories
A New Weight Loss Drug
An FDA panel consisting of 20 experts voted 13 to 7 in favor of approving the weight loss drug Contrave, with an abstention that additional studies be conducted related to heart risks. Safety concerns were considered, but it was determined that the pros of the medication outweighed the cons. Two weight loss drugs were rejected by the FDA panel just this past October due to safety concerns.
What is Contrave?
The weight loss drug Contrave is a combination of the antidepressant buproprion and the anti-addiction drug naltrexone. Some of the side effects reported by the FDA include high blood pressure, dizziness, and insomnia.
Should I make myself eat breakfast if I'm not hungry?
If you typically do not eat breakfast your body adapts to this and you will not feel hungry. Also, serotonin levels are actually highest in the morning and serotonin reduces hunger. So, yes to increase your appetite for breakfast start small and work your way up. Even when you are doing a very small breakfast it’s important to have a balance of protein/carbs/fat. For example, have 1 Tbsp of peanut butter with your banana.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Health Made Easy
https://lisanelsonrd.com/behearthealthy.html
5 Stages of Change – Where do you fall?
If you are overweight or obese it’s necessary to make diet and lifestyle changes to lose weight and reduce your health risks. However, this means changing your habits.
If you typically grab fast food for lunch are you willing to switch and start packing a well balanced lunch instead?
If you include very little physical activity in your daily routine are you willing to shift your priorities to fit in physical activity?
Just how great is your desire to lose weight? Is it enough to change your habits?
Dieting and Vitamin Losses
Did you know when you diet you are frequently sacrificing vitamins and minerals?
When you diet, you don’t just cut calories, you also reduce your intake of vitamins and minerals.
Standford University researchers evaluated the effects of different diets (Atkins, Zone, LEARN, and Ornish) of 300 overweight and obese women. The women reduced their daily caloric intake by 500 calories and all women reduced their overall vitamin and mineral intakes. Vitamin E was reduced the most – 65%.
Researchers were surprised to note that women following the Zone diet actually saw an increase in vitamin A, E, and K intake and no reduction in other nutrients.
When losing weight it’s important to not compromise your overall health. The best bet is a balanced weight loss plan you can stick with long term.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
https://lisanelsonrd.com
