Eating and Exercise Behavioral Changes to Lose Weight

There are certain common factors that often lead to weight gain, such as consuming too many calories, leading a sedentary lifestyle, or some combination of both. Most overweight or obese individuals have the desire to lose weight, but they also know that they need behavioral changes, along with an ability to be disciplined, to make weight loss happen. Even those who have had weight loss surgery such as the Lap Band procedure or Gastric Bypass will need to make adjustments in their daily lifestyle to maintain their weight loss.

Eating Habits

One factor in losing weight and keeping it off is your diet. Your diet should be low in calories, sugars, fats, and starches. Lean proteins, including fish, chicken, turkey and eggs are preferred over meats with more fat. Fresh fruits and veggies are always a good choice. Replace simple carbs with complex carbohydrates like multi-grain breads, whole grain cereals, brown rice, and wheat process. Complex carbohydrates digest more slowly than simple carbs, helping to keep you full and satiated for longer.

The frequency and portion size of your meals is perhaps just as important as what you eat. If you typically eat only two or three large meals per day, try to divide these into five or six meals. If you’ve had Lap Band or Gastric Bypass surgery in Detroit you’ll need to eat smaller meal portions. Eating more frequently will help to stabilize your blood sugar, and can also speed up your metabolism. Stabilizing your blood sugar will help you to avoid those spikes and lows, which can make you to feel hungry often. Revving up your metabolism speeds up the rate at which your body is able to burn calories, and the result of this is increased weight loss.

Exercise Habits

In addition to behavioral changes with respect to eating, physical activity such as interval and circuit training is a great way to burn fat, lose weight, and build strong muscles. Research suggests that interval training helps keep your metabolism churning at high speeds even after your workout ends. Activities like bicycling, running, elliptical training, and even walking are examples of interval training. Circuit training helps develop lean muscle mass while supporting your resting metabolism.