Credit:fivewayfitness.com
In the recent times, being over-weight or letting the pot belly go out of control has become quite normal.
However, many try to defeat all that fat by joining the gym, eating healthy or if nothing works then joining a weight management program. But, unfortunately not all succeed.
Why?
Well, since most probably you are also on your way to join a weight management program, you need to understand that there are certain things to consider before going ahead with it.
We care about you and this is why we have curated a list of critical items that you should consider prior to your weight management program.
1. Finding the root cause of the weight gain.
When most of us think about weight gain, food is on the top of the blaming list. In fact, this is when a lot of people turn to fad diets or practically starve themselves in order to lose the extra pounds.
But, what if I told you that food is not always the problem?
Well, before you start a weight management program you need to understand that There is no point in getting involved in countless methods to get rid of the excess fat when, you haven’t even found the root cause of it.
Believe it or not, assuming that the cause is always the food that often do more harm than good!
Apart from the whole ‘calories in and calories out’ phenomena, there are a lot of other factors that can lead to an unhealthy weight. It can be genetics, certain medications, over eating, lack of physical activity or even stress. If the cause is overeating then, find out what’s leading you to do that. Even diseases like PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), hypothyroidism and resistance to insulin, etc. can come to play here.
This is why, the root cause of your excess fat needs to be sorted out before you start treating the symptom of weight gain.
However, treating the cause isn’t always going to be very easy. It can be quite overwhelming both mentally and physically. So, be prepared for that from the very beginning of your program itself.
But, it’s all worth it in the end as it is going to help you manage your weight in a healthy and sustainable way.
2. Understanding the difference between fat loss and weightless.
If you are one of those who think that losing fat and losing weight are one and the same then, stop right here!
Even though these concepts have been gimmicky marketed as one in order to empty pockets, there is a huge difference between the terms and you need to understand that before you begin your program.
When you’ll enter your weight management program, you are likely to experience a lot of changes in your body both mentally and physically .If you follow the weight management program religiously you will see a lot of changes in your body. You might reduce a few sizes around your waist or a few pounds on the weighing scale.
But, the most effective way to see positive changes is to start with a goal of fat loss and overall well-being rather than ‘weight loss’.
The difference?
Well to begin with, weight loss can involve losing water, fat and even muscle and other fluids.
On the other hand, a healthy fat loss would involve losing all the weight only from the unwanted fat deposits in the body which is ideally what you would want for a healthy body.
Achieving weight loss isn’t hard at all. In fact, you could just follow a calorie restrictive diet or reduce your water intake and see the numbers on the weighing scale coming down.
The harm?
Getting involved in such unhealthy weight loss methods often lead to all the lost weight coming back harming the metabolism on the way.
If you are still wondering as to why you are being told about this then, it’s because during your weight management program there may come times that the number on the scale may not move. This might happen despite your perfect lifestyle changes. But, you do not have to worry about it.
As long as you see visible changes on your body, the numbers on the scale mean nothing!
3. Understanding the importance of balancing a healthy diet with an active lifestyle
Healthy diet or a gym membership?
This has probably been an age old debate!
Every weight management program is different. Their methods of getting you to your dream body can be different. Some might incline more towards the food aspect of life whereas some might be more into the physical work that you might need to put in.
Doesn’t matter what your programs core is, you need to remember that both exercise and a healthy diet plays a major role for weight loss.
Also there has to be a proper balance between the two. You need to eat a healthy diet consisting of different fruits and veggies along with moderate physical activities. You can’t expect to slack off at one and then expect to cover it up with the other. You can even supplement various vitamins and minerals if you are lacking them in your diet. If you are someone who has a very busy schedule and going to a medical store isn’t of convenience to you then, you can even purchase your supplements online. This way you wouldn’t even have an excuse to slack off at your health
However, you need to also remember that the idea of a healthy diet complemented by an active lifestyle may vary from program to program. So before you join a weight management program, make sure their diet as well as exercise preferences matches to yours.
Now, that you stayed till the end of the article, here are a few pearls of wisdom for you! No matter where you are with your lifestyle right now, you considering a weight management program is a great start in itself.