If you find yourself struggling to stick with your weight loss program, you’re not alone. Many people who follow fad diets to lose weight end up gaining it back, only to start a new diet and repeat the cycle. A March 2019 study from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center found that 70% of female participants experienced at least one instance of weight cycling. This type of yo-yo dieting is stressful. It puts you at greater risk for unhealthy weight gain as you age. And, it can also affect your health in less obvious ways. Regular periods of weight fluctuation can lead to serious cardiac conditions. This includes coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death. Recent studies report not just the negative impact of being obese, but also the danger of weight cycling for cardiometabolic health. Yo-yo dieting is an easy trap to fall into, but you can break the cycle by making some holistic weight loss lifestyle changes.
Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals
When dieting, many people want to lose as much weight as possible and as quickly as possible. These unrealistic goals can lead to disappointment. So, to stay motivated and reduce stress, it’s best to aim for small but consistent changes that you can keep up with for the long-term. Don’t halve your calorie intake and start marathon training from day one. Instead, start small, like switching to a healthier afternoon snack, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Making holistic weight loss lifestyle changes to your daily routine will soon become habit and help you maintain a healthy diet as well as a healthy weight.
Change Your Eating Habits
Making simple changes to your daily diet is better than making dramatic alterations. Completely cutting out important food groups such as dairy or carbohydrates may help you lose weight in the short-term. However, it’s not sustainable and will cause more damage than good. The goal of holistic weight loss lifestyle changes is to eat right without depriving yourself of essential nutrients.
Consistency is also key when it comes to breaking the yo-yo dieting cycle. You should try to eat around the same time each day in order to keep cravings under control. Eating an early breakfast and bringing healthy, homemade lunches to work instead of going out are other examples of how to make holistic weight loss lifestyle changes.
Find Support
Seeking support from friends and family can motivate you to stick to your diet. It can also prevent you from giving into temptation during difficult days. If you eat most of your meals at home, you can develop a diet plan that the whole family can follow. You can also join a local dieting group or enlist the help of a professional–such as your doctor, a certified nutritionist or a registered dietician–when you’re ready to break through the yo-yo dieting cycle and make weight loss a part of your holistic lifestyle change.
Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program
If you are interested in losing weight for your general health, Ideal Protein is one avenue that is worth considering. This ketogenic diet plan helps you lose weight by reducing calorie intake and emphasizing an adequate protein diet. The goal of the Ideal Protein diet is to trigger a body state called ketosis, which makes your body burn fat stores instead of the sugars overrepresented in the average Western diet. Unlike typical keto diets, though, the Ideal Protein weight loss program also restricts foods that are high in fat, reasoning that this makes it easier to activate ketosis. Medically supervised holistic weight loss programs such as Ideal Protein are intended to offer treatment to overweight or obese patients. View Ideal Protein weight loss results from our patients, or contact us to get started.
Manage Stress And Lose Weight
The key to successful dieting is to avoid becoming stressed about it. Your body needs to be in perfect harmony in order to function correctly; the pressure that comes with dieting can cause stress, but the rise in stress hormones such as cortisol make it much harder to stick to a stringent diet. The goal is to stay relaxed while nourishing both your body and mind, which will provide superb long-term health benefits.
Your holistic doctor can help you make holistic weight loss lifestyle changes. Check out the book, Your Vibrant Heart: Restoring Health, Strength & Spirit from the Body’s Core. It’s an inspiring read that describes how Dr. Cynthia works with her patients to help them change lifestyle behaviors for a more fulfilling life.
