Despite consumers spending billions of dollars each year on weight loss programs and goods, obesity is at an all-time high. How can you pick the one that would help you healthily lose weight and ensure that it stays off for good when so many alternatives exist?
To make things simpler, we have compiled a list of essential aspects of programs that you should check for:
- Altering One’s Behavior
Developing one’s ability to think in novel ways is a prerequisite for sustained success. You may change harmful, unproductive methods of thinking that are counterproductive to your health objectives with good, productive ways of thinking with the assistance of a respected program.
- Safety
Before beginning any weight-loss program, you should consult with your doctor or other qualified medical professionals and take their consent, which is very important. Your healthcare practitioner will assess your current health, place any required test orders, and discuss any necessary additional precautions with you.
- Credibility
A quality program will have credentialed providers like registered dietitians, licensed psychologists or counselors, certified fitness professionals and health coaches, and licensed medical professionals like physicians and registered nurses.
- Flexibility
You are setting yourself up for failure if a program requires you to stick to a strict diet or workout regimen. Instead, search for programs that consider the foods and activities you love to partake in. Changes in your lifestyle that you can maintain for the long term will be necessary for your achievement.
Realistic Outcomes
“Lose 20 pounds in one week” may attract your attention, but the reality is that permanent weight loss occurs gradually, at a pace of one-half pound up to a maximum of two pounds each week. This is the rate at which you can expect to lose weight permanently. If a program does not offer statistics about the average weight loss by participants and long-term follow-up of those people, you should take this as a warning sign.
- Self-Monitoring
Numerous studies have shown that individuals who keep track of the calories they eat, the amount of activity they do, and their weight loss a lot more than those who don’t. Self-monitoring should be an integral aspect of any weight loss program, and a successful program should encourage participants to do so.
- Sensible Nourishment
Steer clear of diets that cut out whole food groups or place excessive restrictions on your diet. Steer carefully of diets that require you to consume particular meals in certain combinations or that allow you to eat certain items in infinite amounts. These do not function and may cause your body to lack critical nutrients. They may also cause you to waste away.
- Regular Exercise
Not only is engaging in physical exercise essential to successfully shedding excess pounds and maintaining weight loss, but it is also an excellent method for enhancing mood, boosting cognitive capacity, and preventing emotional eating. An excellent program to help you lose weight should inspire you to discover new ways to include physical exercise into your daily routine and provide you with tools to do so.
- Believable Claims And No Pressure
Get clear from any program that tries to get you to purchase certain meals, supplements, medications, or devices or promises you a speedy remedy. There is no such thing as a “miracle medication” that can “melt your weight away.”
- Longevity
When choosing a program, the question, “Could I Reasonably Make These Changes for the Rest of My Life?” may be the most critical. If the answer to that question is “no,” then you should keep exploring a more practical program that better suits your wants and requirements.