How to Lose Weight With a Schedule

Losing weight is not an easy task, especially if you have full schedule of work and caring for a family. The benefits of weight loss, though, outweigh the risks of staying overweight or obese. MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, says nearly two-thirds of people in the United States are overweight. Excess weight leads to health problems like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, heart attack and stroke. Losing weight improves these health problems. To lose weight with a full schedule, you have to find creative ways to change your lifestyle.

Instructions

• 1

  Write a weekly workout schedule. Just as you write an appointment to go to the doctor and have to go to work at a certain time, you can pencil in your workout. Decide what time of day you want to exercise and write it down. If you plan to exercise at a local gym, keep a copy of the schedule on the refrigerator or on your mirror. If you plan to do it at home, keep your DVDs by the television and write down which one you want to do each day.

• 2

  Keep healthy foods on hand at home or at work. You may have to clean out your refrigerator and pantry to get rid of any tempting foods. Bring lunch and snacks to work to avoid vending machines or a co-workers candy drawer. Good non-perishable snacks to keep at work include nuts and nutrition bars. Purchase microwavable dishes with separate slots and dish out leftovers in them. Place them in the refrigerator or freezer as a substitute for processed microwavable meals.

• 3

  Wear a pedometer and add more walking to your day. Health organizations, such as Shape Up America, encourage everyone to get at least 10,000 steps a day. You can get these by parking far away from buildings, walking around the neighborhood and nearby stores, taking the stairs and walking during your lunch break.

• 4

  Start a weight loss club with friends or co-workers. More than likely, you have people in your life who also have a demanding schedule. As a group, you can motivate one another and schedule workout dates. You all may decide to create a Biggest Loser type weight loss competition.

• 5

  Work out at home. Exercise DVDs are a convenient way to get a complete workout on your schedule and come in various lengths. There are DVDs with 10- to 15-minute segments, as well as those as long as 90 minutes. You can do them before work, after work or at midnight if you feel like it. Exercise DVDs with 10-minute segments can be done throughout the day if you want.