Follow These Steps to Maximize Your Chances of Weight Loss Success

Perhaps you have tried to lose weight on your own and have had trouble maintaining your motivation. Or maybe you have been able to lose weight, but have had trouble keeping the weight off. Working with a weight loss doctor on your weight loss program could make this time the time you succeed. Follow these steps and you can stay on track with your weight loss goals and become fitter and healthier.

Step # 1: Write Down the Reasons You Want to Lose Weight

Motivation and commitment are essential for losing excess weight. Write down a list of the reasons you want to lose weight, and be honest. If you want to look great for that beach vacation, that’s fine! Different things motivate different people. Losing weight often leads to better overall health, and that can be a great motivator too, particularly if you have high blood pressure, arthritis or other conditions that are aggravated by excess weight.

Step # 2: Set Goals

Losing ten pounds per month is a realistic goal for most people, and losing weight at this rate can be done without resorting to extreme measures like crash dieting or limiting food intake so much that it’s unhealthy. When you’re setting weight loss goals, include so-called process goals, like walking half an hour a day at least five days a week for the next month. Changing everyday habits is the key to safely losing weight and keeping the weight off.

Step # 3: Learn to Make Healthier Daily Choices

A great medical weight loss program not only includes the services of a weight loss doctor who can monitor your health and progress, but also the services of counselors who can help you make realistic changes like a healthier shopping list that are important to success. Those daily choices, like taking the stairs to your second floor office instead of the elevator, or choosing a high fiber snack instead of chips really add up over time. 

Step # 4: Increase Physical Activity

Sedentary lifestyles are very common in today’s world. Nobody expects you to go from little or no exercise to participating in triathlons (but if that’s your goal, you should go for it!). Your medical weight loss program should include help with practical ways to increase physical activity in your everyday life. Losing weight through a combination of cutting calories and increasing physical exercise maximizes health benefits like lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Step # 5: Adjust Your Personal Outlook

One key to long term success with weight loss is adjusting your personal outlook. Trying to change everything – eating habits, exercise, routines – all at once can be overwhelming, but making smaller adjustments and practicing them until they become ingrained can help you make more significant changes that will last. Medical weight loss clinics should be there for you once you reach your goal weight so that you can maintain your healthy weight and continue to enjoy improved health for the long term.

Author

Dr. Charles Goldsmith Dr. Charles Goldsmith started his career as an OB/GYN over 30 years ago. He ran a successful practice but noticed his clients consistently requesting assistance with weight loss. After countless hours of research and studying the numerous aspects of weight loss, Dr. Goldsmith determined that weight loss is very complex and needed to be supervised by a physician.