HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME?

HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? Why should I lose weight? • Keeping your body at a healthy weight can help you feel good. • If you are overweight, losi...
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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? Why should I lose weight? • Keeping your body at a healthy weight can help you feel good. • If you are overweight, losing even a small amount of weight can improve your health and help you feel better.



- Make it easier to control your blood sugar.



- Prevent heart disease.



- Prevent some kinds of cancer.



- Save your knees and other joints.



- Allow you to have more energy.



- Make it easier to work and get around.

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• Controlling your weight can:

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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? How much weight should I lose? • Your health will be improved by losing just a few pounds.

6 - How Can Losing Weight Help Me?

• If you weigh 200 pounds, that usually means losing 10-20 pounds. If you weigh 300 pounds, that means losing 15-30 pounds in the next year.

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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? How can I lose weight? • Try to eat less! • Eating less is hard to do. Here are some simple ideas you can use to eat less food:

- Cut your portion sizes of meat, cheese, butter, gravy, salad dressing, and other high calorie foods - Eating more low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables - Cutting back on deserts and snacks - Eating more meals at home and fewer fast food meals - Drinking water, diet soda, crystal light or other low calorie drinks.

Eat more of these foods.

Fruits

Vegetables

Vegetable Salad

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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? • Be more active by:

- Walking more during the day.



- Having more fun in ways that are active like playing with your children or grandchildren.



- Taking your dog for a walk every day.



- Setting aside time to exercise.



- Taking up a hobby like gardening.

- Learning to dance.

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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? • Begin to change bad habits to good habits

- Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full.



- Eat more slowly.



- Stop using food as a way to soothe bad feelings. Find other ways to feel better like relaxing, meditating, listening to music or being with friends or family.



- Find other things to do like reading, taking a walk, or calling a friend when you feel bored.

- Avoid places that always lead to overeating like buffets.

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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? • How fast can I expect to lose weight?

- How fast you lose weight depends on a number of factors.



- Men tend to lose weight faster than women.



- The more overweight you are, the faster you lose weight.



- Cutting back on your food helps you lose weight more quickly.



- Being more active can help speed up the weight loss.



- People lose weight more quickly at the beginning and the weight loss slows down over time.



- Losing 1-2 pounds each week is a healthy rate of weight loss



- Keep track of your progress using a scale.



- Weigh yourself each day at the same time



- Keep a record of your weight to track your progress



- Write down what you eat in a food diary to see where you can make changes



- Keep a chart of your exercise

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• Keep up with your weight loss.

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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME?



- Set a date to begin.



- Tell friends and family you plan to lose weight and ask for their help.



- Pay attention to what you are eating to find changes you need to make.



- Ask to talk to a dietitian.

• How can I stay motivated?

- Focus on improving your health.



- Feel good about making small changes.



- When you slip up, figure out why and make changes to your plan.



- Get friends or family to lose weight with you and support each other.



- Tell friends and family what they can do to help you be successful.



- Have realistic goals and be patient.

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• How do I get started?

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HOW CAN LOSING WEIGHT HELP ME? I CAN DO IT! I will be more active every day!

I will pick a goal from the list below to start this week and continue until I talk about it with my doctor, nurse, or dietician.

I will start losing weight on __________________. a. My current weight is ______________ pounds. b. My goal is to lose _________________ pounds.

I will be more active by: a. ____________________________________________________ b. ____________________________________________________ c. ____________________________________________________ d. ____________________________________________________

I will change these bad habits: a. ____________________________________________________ b. ____________________________________________________ c. ____________________________________________________ d. ____________________________________________________

I will involve the following people: a. ____________________________________________________ b. ____________________________________________________ c. ____________________________________________________ d. ____________________________________________________ I will stay motivated by: a. ____________________________________________________ b. ____________________________________________________ c. ____________________________________________________ d. ____________________________________________________ Copyright 2011 by Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved. Please contact authors for permission to use.

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I will eat less by: a._______________________________________________________ b._______________________________________________________ c._______________________________________________________ d._______________________________________________________

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