Excess Weight Has An Impact On The State Of Our Physical And Emotional Health - Learn How To Diet

By Author: Sue Bristol
Total Articles: 12
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Weight has an impact on the state of our physical and emotional health. If we can develop a plan to achieve a "healthy weight" we will reduce the risk to our bodies from illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gall bladder disease, arthritis, and certain forms of cancer.

The secret to losing weight, or to not gaining weight, is somewhat of a balancing act. If you want to avoid gaining weight, you must achieve a balance between the calories that you eat and the calories you burn up through physical activity. If you want to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn up (or burn more than you consume).

The "facts" behind weight loss are pretty simple. However, putting the "facts" into practice is often an entirely different matter. Let's look at a few simple steps you can choose to help you to achieve your ideal weight:

• Become familiar with the foods that you need to eat from each food group. The USDA recommends that each plate of food consist of one-half for fruits and vegetables, one-fourth for grains (preferably whole grains) such as breads, ...
... cereals, and pastas. The remaining one-fourth of the plate is for protein, such as fish, chicken, or beans.

• Learn about portion control. Many of us are eating two or even three times the amount of food we need for health. It's a habit we have developed, probably from our parents (who are probably also overweight). Eliminate second servings and sugar sweetened beverages. Reduce every snack you consume by half.

• Choose nutrient-dense foods, that is, those that give you lots of good nutrition with fewer calories. These foods would include skim milk, skinless chicken, fruit, yogurt, unsweetened cereals, canned fruits packed in juice or lite syrup, baked or steamed potatoes, reduced-fat cheeses, and drinks with no sugar.

In addition to these small modification in the kinds of foods you eat, begin to add some kind of physical activity to your daily lifestyle. If you can plan for a regular exercise routine (walking, calisthenics, weights etc), that's fine. However, if a routine is simply not going to work for you, change your ideas about how you live on a day-to-day basis.

For example, use the stairs instead of the elevator, take a walk after lunch or dinner (preferably both), stretch your muscles and rotate your joints when you get up in the morning and after prolonged times of sitting, use light hand weights, get up to change the channel instead of using the remote.

These are all small changes but will indeed add up and eventually lead to weight loss and an all-around healthier you!

To know more about overweight and obesity
visit:
http://how-to-loseweight-101.com/category/diet-meal-plans
http://www.how-to-loseweight-101.com/index1.html
Sue Bristol, R.N. says: "lose weight and lower your BMI" by burning your calories and if you are overweight then read this e-book how to lose weight.