How To Structure Your Weight Loss Program For Success

by Pauline Masale
If you are serious about getting into shape, then you will need to develop and follow a well-balanced weight loss program. Here are some tips on how to come up with a program that will work well with your current state of health, and help you to incrementally work toward your goals.

If you are serious about getting into shape, then you will need to develop and follow a well-balanced weight loss program. Here are some tips on how to come up with a program that will work well with your current state of health, and help you to incrementally work toward your goals.

Perhaps the best place to start is with your family physician. Before you begin any type of diet or exercise regimen, it is a good idea to have an accurate understanding of where your body happens to be right now. Your doctor can provide you with a thorough checkup, which will help you understand what types of exercises you should include in your program. You will also find valuable information on the state of your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other factors that will be very important in planning out the types of foods you should eat as part of your program.

In fact, you may find that your doctor already has a program that will be just right for your fitness level. It is not unusual for a doctor to have several plans handy that will incorporate lifestyle changes, diet plans, and a list of suggested exercise options that are in the best interests of his or her patient. Doctor approved plans have the advantage of giving you someone to be accountable to as well. You will no doubt need to let the doctor know how well you are doing with the plan, and also need to go back and be checked every so often as part of the weight loss program criteria.

If you prefer to go out on your own, you will find quite a few recommendations for diet plans on the market. You may choose one of those, but make it a point to look for one that recommends some balance in the way you eat, rather than some quick fix diet that promises that, if you stay on it, you will lose twenty pounds in one week. Quick weight loss is not good for your body, especially your heart. Look for a diet plan that incorporates the basics of good nutrition and does not indicate you can expect more than three or four pounds of weight loss in a week. Slow and easy is a much better weight loss program, which will include reasonable consumption of food and a moderate and workable exercise schedule.

When it comes to the exercise portion, you may want to begin slowly if you are out of the habit of regular exercise. Try starting out with a thirty-minute walk daily. In time you can pick up the pace and work in some free weights and perhaps some stretching exercises. As you begin to look forward to the types of exercise you are dealing with, then broaden to include more aggressive modes of exercise. As time goes on, you will find that not only are you losing weight as part of your weight loss program, but your mental state is progressively more positive as well.