Good Habits for Losing Weight

Although fad diets abound, the key to losing weight and keeping it off is in creating healthy habits. Aside from the aesthetic benefits, the most important benefit of losing weight is improved health. A healthy weight goes a long way in decreasing the possibility of developing diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and problems with the joints as you age. The two main elements of maintaining a healthy weight are nutrition and exercise.

Be Conscious

An important habit to follow for a healthy lifestyle is being conscious of what you eat. Make a habit of reading nutrition labels and looking up the nutritional information on everything you eat. Keep track not only of the calories and the fat but also of the carbohydrate, sugar, fiber and sodium content of the foods you eat. Educate yourself on what the daily requirements for your height and body type are and stick to them.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is one that includes the right balance of all the food groups. A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins is the best diet for losing weight and staying healthy. Avoiding unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates will be key in a diet to help you lose weight. Discretionary calories or fats should be kept down to a minimum. The food you eat should provide you with the necessary amount of calories to fuel the kind of life you lead. If you lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle, you will require fewer calories than if you lead an active life.
Your body needs fat to maintain healthy cells. Just be sure to get your fats from vegetable sources such as avocados, olives, nuts, flaxseed and canola or from fish. Fats that come from meat can harden and clog arteries.

Drink Water

Drinking enough water every day is a requirement for losing unwanted pounds and a good habit to practice. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day to help your kidneys and liver run as they should to metabolize the fat you ingest. It takes some getting used to but, if you make a habit of drinking your daily eight glasses of water, you will see it begin to flush out the fat that has accumulated in specific areas of your body. An added benefit to drinking all this water is a decrease in appetite, which helps you stick to a healthier diet.

Get Enough Sleep

Studies completed in 2004 at the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University have shown there is a correlation between sleep deprivation and being overweight. Researchers at these schools found that not getting enough sleep increases levels of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and decreases levels of satiety hormone, leptin. This dynamic may lead to overeating and weight gain. Getting enough sleep---between seven and eight hours a night---helps keep these hormones in the correct balance for maintaining a healthy weight.

Exercise

Increasing your level of physical activity not only helps you reach your weight loss goals, incorporating exercise into your lifestyle helps you maintain better overall health. A simple way of adding more exercise to your life is by taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. If you cannot walk the whole way, walk up part of the way, then take the elevator. Park your car further from your destination to give you the opportunity to walk a little. Walk as often as you can until you feel motivated enough to commit to doing more exercise on a daily basis. Fifteen minutes of exercise a day is a good start, but aim for eventually doing at least 30 to 45 minutes of exercise every other day.