5 tips to keep in mind when you want to lose fat forever.

With two-thirds of our population overweight (one-third in the obese category), taking care of our weight is no longer something we are doing to look more attractive, or perhaps thinking of doing. It has become a necessary action to prevent disease and increase health costs.

With physical activities being reduced in schools and backyards and more opportunities to sit in front of televisions, computers, and boys at play, even our children are joining the ranks of the sedentary lifestyle that an overweight population promotes. Diseases of adults are becoming more prominent in children. Adult-onset diabetes has been renamed to accommodate all children diagnosed with it, some as early as infancy.

So if you’ve “given up” because counting and exercising haven’t worked for you, consider the following five tips. Which ones can help you?

1. Check to see if it is being sabotaged in any way. Many of us find very unique ways to sabotage ourselves. Although they are not related to food, they can wreak havoc on our weight. Sabotage often occurs when we are not aware of it. Awareness of sabotage is important, but it is only the first step. We must also be prepared to put our sabotage behind us. If we ignore the sabotage and keep trying to lose weight … well you know the story.

two. Get the right nutrients. It’s not just about the right amount of carbohydrates, fat, or protein. A proper balance of the nutrients contained in those carbohydrates, fats, and proteins can influence whether you will happily lose weight and not regain it, or whether it is just another diet that you have to endure to wear a smaller size. One client said it best when she told me that she “dieted to morbid obesity.” He started out at 106 pounds and after years of dieting peaked at 255 pounds.

3. Use a balanced approach to lose and maintain your weight. Yes, it is important to watch what you eat. Yes, it is imperative to exercise in order not to lose lean mass (muscle, bone, organ tissue). It is also important to examine your stress levels and where that stress is coming from. We must all eat. We must all move. We must even have some stress. But what kinds of food, exercise, and stress and how much of each should we have is important. A good balance of each one individually and in balance with each other is of great importance to reach and maintain our weight goals.

Four. Modify your lifestyle. “Lose 20 pounds in 10 days!” “Look great in a bikini in just 30 days!” We are led to believe that weight loss is a quick fix and that anyone can do it. I went to college with a beauty queen who told us she could lose 5 pounds in a couple of days when she had to make an appearance. At that point I was impressed. Now I know we can all do it. All we have to do is stop drinking water and eat. The food in our digestive system at any time and the water in our blood and cells can easily weigh 5 pounds. But isn’t weight loss supposed to remove fat?

Well, the scale doesn’t know the difference. Long-term weight loss success comes from understanding that the extra pounds didn’t appear in a few weeks or even a few months. If we are willing to make weight loss / control a long-term project, we can live a successful life. By making small, progressive changes to our lifestyle and having the right support system, we set ourselves up for a happier, healthier journey toward our weight goals.

5. Forget about losing weight and strive to be healthy. Have you ever known someone who has been dieting for decades and all they came up with was sporadic success with long-term failure? Then when they finally decide to learn to love themselves just the way they are (all? Pounds of themselves), and turn their attention to getting healthier … the weight starts to drop! Well, our body doesn’t care how we look, but it does care if we’re healthy. Our bodies continually strive to achieve homeostasis (a state of balance).

When our bodies are balanced, we are healthy. When something is out of balance, our organs and cells will work hard to regain balance (no wonder we get tired). When we sabotage (that word again) our bodies by not giving them the nutrients and exercise they need and / or giving them too much or the wrong kind of stress, they can overwork, resulting in energy loss, weight gain (or inappropriate loss) and / or illness.

So if you want to look your best and feel energized, you may want to shift your thoughts from losing weight to gaining health. Just changing your thinking patterns from losing to winning can put you in a more positive frame of mind and could be the first step on your personal journey toward your goals.