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4 Basic Weight Management Strategies!

Are you desperate to drop pounds? Then these four basic weight management strategies can help turn your existing habits into successful long-term weight loss! Strategies that will help you stay young and look your best.

If you’re like most people, then you’ve tried fad diets only to find yourself reverting back to your old habits. Usually this results in regaining all your weight and feeling guilty. You think you’re the only one who doesn’t have the will power to lose the weight. The reality is you’re not alone.

Most people who embark on a diet don’t have long term success! Why? Because they choose a diet program that is unrealistic to their current habits and is not sustainable for life.

The Cabbage Soup Diet
I’m going to use the cabbage soup diet as an example of something that is unrealistic and unsustainable for life. At one time this diet plan was all the rage. But like all fads it came and went. In its wake it left a lot of people disappointed because they regained their weight. Why? Because you’re not going to have a bowl of cabbage soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday for the rest of your life!

Cabbage soup is good and nutritious. However, you’re going to quickly grow bored and begin to hate it. What would have been a good meal one time during the week is now a bad memory. Instead of fad diets, the goal is to incorporate basic weight management strategies to complement your daily habits.

4 Basic Weight Management Strategies!
To be successful in weight loss, and lead you to long term weight management, you need to incorporate some basic weight management strategies into your lifestyle. You sleep, drink, get angry and disappointed, and like to reward yourself. Your goal is to cultivate a basic weight management strategy around each one of these lifestyle habits.

Key 1 – Sleep!
You sleep so let’s see how this affects basic weight management. Let’s start by giving you some documented research on sleep:

• Scientists at Columbia University Medical Center discovered that people who only got five hours of sleep a night were 60 percent more likely to be significantly overweight than those who slept seven to nine hours. They found that sleep deprivation alters the levels of leptin and gherilin which are hormones that regulate appetite resulting in increased hunger.
• The journal Obesity Reviews posted an article stating that the more hours you’re awake, the more likely you’ll eat. They estimated that a one hour increase in sleep would cut caloric intake by 6% or an average of 120 calories.
• Research from the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that sleep loss increases hunger while decreasing the body’s metabolism.

Bottom line, lack of sleep is a recipe for weight gain. Your basic weight management strategy is to get proper rest! If you’re only getting 5 to 6 hours of sleep then you need to increase your sleep time to at least 7 hours.

Maybe it’s as simple as turning off the late night news or TV program. Use that time to unwind from your day. If you’re having trouble sleeping, then check out my article,     “5 Steps for a Good Night’s Sleep!”

This basic weight management strategy for increasing your sleep time will also help you with some other health issues.

• A study from the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who slept only five hours a night were two and a half times more likely to have diabetes than those who slept seven to eight hours.
• Research from Columbia University discovered that women who slept less than six hours each night increased their risk for developing high blood pressure by 70 percent over those who slept seven to eight hours.
• Research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine showed that sleep deprivation lowers the immune system making you more susceptible to infection.
• As you can see, cultivating the habit to get your proper rest is going to be helpful for your long term weight loss program and overall wellness.

Key 2 – Drink!
The second basic weight management strategy centers on what you drink and how it affects your weight. Let’s start with what we know to be true:

• The average 12 oz can of regular pop contains 155 calories and 9 teaspoons of sugar. The average American consumes 54 gallons of soda per year. That equals 1.5 cans or 230 calories per day all derived from sugar.
• Several scientific studies have demonstrated that the empty calories of soft drinks are directly related to weight gain, which in turn becomes a prime risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes.
• If you think switching to diet pop is the answer, then think again. There are numerous studies linking weight gain to diet pop consumption. Even though you have reduced your caloric intake you haven’t satisfied thirst or hunger. This causes people to overeat.

With all that we drink, experts estimate that 75% of Americans are mildly dehydrated. Every day your body must replace 2-3 quarts of water; over 1/2 gallon or more. If the fluid we consume is loaded with sugars and other chemicals, then the liver and body need that water to help detoxify its system. The water cannot go to the rest of the body’s cells causing them mild dehydration which effects metabolism and energy levels.

Your basic weight management strategy centers on your need for pure, odorless water. Water contains no calories, no artificial sweeteners and colorings, and is fat-free, cholesterol-free, low in sodium and not acidic. Water plays a major role in weight loss and weight management.

Many regard water as the most significant factor in losing fat because of the effect it has on your overall metabolism and helping your body metabolize stored fat. Since water has no calories you can consume as much as you want without weight gain, and it serves as an appetite suppressant.

Work on cultivating the habit of getting more pure water into your body. I did it by finding a fantastic Green Fusion product called Core Greens from Synergy WorldWide. It’s a powder that I add to my water. Plus, it gives me all the nutritional value of an organic plant-based program without the shopping and preparing.

Initially you might find yourself going to the bathroom more often but your body will adjust. Think of your bathroom visits as part of your walking program. Plus, proper hydration will reduce joint and muscle soreness, decrease back pain, improve energy and muscle tone, and help to eliminate mental confusion and disorientation.

Key 3 – Handle Anger and Disappointment!
The third basic weight management strategy centers on how you handle anger and disappointment. Let’s see how your emotions affect your weight:

• Researchers at the University of Leeds tracked the habits of 422 employees. They found that people who were stressed tended to eat fewer vegetables and instead snacked on more fattening foods throughout the day. According to Daryl O’Connor, Ph.D., the author of the study, your body produces the hormone cortisol when under stress. Cortisol triggers cravings for high-calorie foods.
• Researchers at Pennsylvania State University looked at the effects of loud noise on eating. Those who weren’t able to shut off the noise consumed twice as many calories than those who could.
• Research by Cynthia Power found that what you snack on is governed by your emotions. When you’re angry or frustrated, you will usually choose crunchy foods like chips since chewing is a physical release for the emotion. If you are lonely then you’re more likely to choose a food that fills you up like cake, popcorn or pasta. If you’re sad, then the food of choice is usually sweet, creamy foods like chocolate and ice cream since the sugar helps to lift your energy and mood.

Just the morning commute to work can begin to stress your life. Add to that a noisy office environment and you’re ready for some serious snacking. Or, maybe you’re a stay-at-home mom with a noisy preschool environment. With the stress of raising the children and keeping your home from looking like a disaster zone, that nap time becomes snack time.

Our third basic weight management strategy channels these eating responses to stress into a healthy habit that will separate emotional hunger from real hunger! It centers on using your daily planner. When you’re feeling stressed take six minutes and make an entry into your planner. People will think you’re just adding an important meeting. And, in a way, you are. You’re making an appointment to release your emotions which is good personal therapy. If after the six minutes you are still feeling hungry, then go ahead and get a small, healthy snack. Most people find they don’t need to eat when they complete their journal entry.

Key 4 – Reward Yourself!
The one overriding aspect of most diets is denial. It is a negative approach instead of a positive approach to weight management. So, the fourth basic weight management strategy centers on rewards.

Is there anyone who doesn’t like a reward? We all love a reward. We live our lives for rewards. Building rewards into your program helps to tame the tension.

• Many experts suggest getting ten percent of your calories from “fun foods.” If you’re on a 1500 calorie program then that’s 150 calories.
• According to research from the University of Cincinnati, a little sugar helps your body cope with stress since it may decrease the production of glucocorticoid, a stress hormone linked to storing belly fat.
• Experts recommend choosing a snack that also contains protein since protein will help slow the release of sugar into the body. If you can combine this with fiber, even better.

Make it a habit to build rewards into your program. If you need a daily reward, then build a favorite snack into your program. Make sure your snack has some protein to offset the sugar; the higher the protein and lower the sugar the better. Throw in some fiber and that makes your daily reward even better.

Maybe you want to reward yourself for the weekend or for an upcoming special event. Bank your daily rewards for the weekend or special event. Remember, you didn’t gain your weight in a day but over days, weeks and years of making certain choices. Letting your self have permission to reward yourself is important.

If you’ve banked your daily reward of 150 calories, then you have 900 calories to reward yourself for the weekend. Enjoy them and then get back on track the next day to work towards your weight loss or weight management goal.

The key to successful weight loss and long-term weight management is to learn how to incorporate basic weight management strategies that compliment your daily habits. Habits that move you to making good decisions that create positive outcomes. I hope this article has helped you think about incorporating realistic strategies to create positive habits that are sustainable for life.

Until next time, may we both age youthfully!

Synergistically yours,

P.S.   I recommend the following articles to help you understand the keys that will empower you to properly manage your weight, slow your aging, and improve your overall wellness:

The Secret to Weight Loss!

Successful Weight Management Control Hinges on These Two Rules!

Is the Leptin Hormone a Critical Factor in Successful Weight Loss? 

Healthy Weight Management Suggestions! 

Learn How a Glycemic Index Chart Can Improve Your Health!

 

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