Losing weight can help improve both your appearance and health; it lowers risks like heart disease and diabetes. Making sustainable lifestyle changes will make this easier.

Start by writing down all the reasons for your desire to lose weight, then put this list somewhere you will see it daily, to help motivate and inspire yourself.

Ask your health care professional

Health care professionals can make weight loss recommendations during regular office visits. They may refer patients to registered dietitians, clinical or community programs, federally approved medications or devices and other means. Health care providers can also assist in setting short-term goals to work toward over time – for instance replacing sugary beverages with water or taking 15-minute walks at dinner time each night are just two examples.

Health care professionals should adopt a patient-centric approach and aim to help their patients enhance their quality of life. By encouraging and rewarding improvements in behavior change goals, this serves to build self-esteem in those working toward leading healthier lifestyles.

At an appointment, health care providers will review a patient’s medical history, such as prior weight-loss attempts and current diet and exercise routines. A physical exam will then be performed to check for conditions linked to obesity such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes.

Be mindful of what you eat

To achieve lasting weight loss, you must alter how you approach food. A great way to do this is through mindful eating: an approach which emphasizes being fully present during meals while appreciating all aspects of their cuisine – taste, texture, appearance and smell are all considered when using this technique. Ultimately its main aim is helping individuals respond more easily to physical hunger cues than emotional or social ones.

Mindful eating has been demonstrated to aid weight loss by decreasing overall caloric intake, making healthier food choices and helping individuals become more aware of their fullness and satiety cues from the body. Furthermore, mindful eating has been proven effective at combatting stress-induced emotional triggers which may lead to unhealthy food decisions.

Mindful eating requires dedication and practice to become an effective weight loss strategy that fits easily into daily routine. Start by checking in with yourself periodically throughout the day to assess hunger. Eat slowly while chewing each mouthful to aid digestion. And try not to skip meals as this could lead to overeating and poor food choices.

Avoid distracting activities while eating, such as television viewing, work duties, driving and playing video games. Instead, find an inviting environment to enjoy your meal!

Get regular physical activity

Regular physical activity is an integral component of maintaining a healthy weight and managing health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and depression. Exercise helps burn calories and can prevent weight regain. According to the American Heart Association’s recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise each week (such as walking, swimming, biking dancing or aerobics – 30 minutes each day!). Furthermore, on at least two days each week it’s also beneficial to engage in muscle strengthening activities that engage all major muscle groups.

Before beginning an exercise program, it’s advisable to seek advice from your health care provider or doctor. Furthermore, your provider can help identify safe and enjoyable methods of staying active that fit within your medical condition or requirements.

Start slowly and gradually work up to the CDC’s recommended amount of exercise for your age and gender, which provides optimal health benefits such as weight loss and preventing weight regain after you lose it. These guidelines include at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity on at least two consecutive days each week as well as muscle strengthening activities on one of those two days that work all major muscles.

Stay motivated

Maintaining motivation while on a weight-loss journey can be challenging when faced with setbacks or the desire to revert back to unhealthy behaviors.

Maintaining motivation during weight loss requires understanding what drives you. Intrinsic motivation often comes from within; for example, wanting to improve your health, boost self-esteem or adhere to values. Extrinsic motivation includes outside rewards such as fitting into favorite clothes more comfortably or being promised that body transformation. Both types of motivation can assist with meeting goals in the short-term but intrinsic motivation tends to be more effective over time.

Keep focused on your goals and have a support system can help keep motivation high. Sharing them with family and friends provides accountability and motivation to develop healthy habits like exercising or planning nutritious meals. You could also seek support online communities dedicated to weight loss journeys.

Reward yourself regularly. Celebrating your successes is key to staying motivated. If you’ve stuck to an exercise regimen for several weeks, surprise yourself with something fun or plan an amazing surprise once you hit your weight goal.