Achieving a healthy weight can improve your overall health and lower your risk for many chronic conditions, joint deterioration, and even certain cancers. If weight loss is one of your goals this year, talk with your doctor and consider these 5 steps from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Understand your “why”.
- Write down your reasons for wanting to lose weight.
- Put your list of reasons in a place where you can see it daily to help stay focused on your goal.
- Track where you are. Write down or use an app to track:
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- Sleep
- Stress and life challenges: Use healthy ways to overcome such as journaling, meditation, or connecting with others
- Set realistic goals:
- Set short term goals
- Make sure your interventions are:
- Specific and realistic
- Enjoyable
- Find support:
- Join a weight loss program
- Ask your doctor for help
- Identify supportive family members or friends
- Monitor your progress:
- Evaluate your progress by revisiting your goals
- When you meet a goal, add a new goal
- Reward yourself for a job well done
- Evaluate your progress by revisiting your goals
Losing weight safely and effectively will help you keep it off long term and reduce health risks. For more information, go to https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight