As people age, they find it more difficult to keep unwanted weight off, and they choose “fad” diets to shed weight quickly. However, losing weight and keeping it off is really about making a lifestyle change that includes a healthy diet and an exercise program.
Lifestyle Changes for Weight Loss Do More Than Diets
A lifestyle change is more than a “fad” diet. For safe, effective, and long-term weight loss, you should change your overall lifestyle to incorporate a healthy diet, an exercise program, and stress management.
According to UnityPoint Health, a balanced lifestyle includes high-quality, nutritious whole foods, fruits, veggies, and whole grains along with an exercise program of 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. “Fad” dieting leads to temporary weight loss that usually returns quickly.
With an overall lifestyle change, the effects are long term, you fill your body with foods that fuel and nurture it, and the physical activity keeps your muscles and bones strong and healthy.
What Do You Actually Lose When You Diet?
During a healthy lifestyle change, eating nutritious foods with an appropriate activity level, your body will start to lose fat, which is the goal.
According to TruVision, to continue this fat loss while still building muscle, you want your body in a marginal energy shortage eating fewer calories than you’re burning but making sure you are eating adequate amounts of protein.
Protein builds muscle, so make sure this is part of your daily diet. You don’t have to lose muscle while losing weight. With careful diet management and full-body strengthening routines, it’s completely possible to lose fat without losing muscle.
This is why exercise is vitally important as part of a healthy lifestyle because muscles burn more calories and will aid in your overall weight loss.
Benefits of a Balanced and Healthy Lifestyle
According to Tasting Page, there are so many benefits to leading a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Exercise brings about a sense of happiness, relaxation, and improved self-esteem.
You experience improved sleep due to a regular exercise program. Exercise lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Lastly, living a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise boosts your endurance while a healthy diet gives your body all the nutrients and vitamins it needs to perform each day.
While losing weight might seem like a large task, the truth is that it’s very simple. All you have to do is to take care of your whole body, eat healthily, stay active, limit your stress, and get a good night’s sleep consistently. Your body will thank you each day.
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