How to Lose Pounds for Life

More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, and in 2009, nine states had an obesity rate of more than 30 percent compared to none in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website . Losing weight, however, is only part of the solution because keeping the pounds off for life is even harder. Faced with overwhelming amounts of fad diets, it's easy to be seduced into unhealthy cycles of fast weight loss and gain. Losing weight for life means sticking to a disciplined exercise routine and proper nutrition habits as a lifestyle, not on an occasional or sporadic basis.

Instructions

• 1

  Assess your current weight. Find your body mass index (BMI) on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. This measurement is based on your height and weight and is a reliable assessment of what your ideal weight should be. If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9 you are overweight, and over 30.0 is classed as obese. Use this measurement to first set your goals and later to help maintain your new weight.

• 2

  Lose weight slowly. Resist the temptation to crash diet as you are far more likely to regain the weight, and you could even end up heavier than you were originally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that people who lose no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week succeed in keeping the weight off more than fad dieters. Reduce your caloric daily intake by 500-1,000 to lose 1 pound a week.

• 3

  Adopt a new lifestyle. Decide your new eating plan is for life instead of just for the diet. Once you've hit your target weight, adapt it to your new caloric needs, establish a routine and stick to it. In a 10-year study, the National Weight Control Registry has found that those who keep to the same routine seven days a week succeed in keeping the weight off. The average participant has lost approximately 70 pounds and stayed the same weight for more than five years.

• 4

  Control your calories. Participants in the National Weight Control Registry continued to count calories and succeeded in keeping the weight off. Returning to your original eating habits will only help you put pounds back on. It's a simple equation; eat fewer calories than you need and you lose weight; eat more calories than you need and you gain weight. Eat 3,500 extra calories a week to gain a pound, or eat 3,500 fewer calories a week to lose a pound.

• 5

  Develop a fitness plan to suit your lifestyle. The recommended weekly amount of exercise is 2 ½ hours of moderate aerobic activity like brisk walking. Do muscle-strengthening exercises on the rest of your body at least twice a week. Find out how much exercise is recommended for your age, size and weight in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Physical Exercise For Everyone" section.