A 6-Step Plan To Achieving A Healthy Weight...Forever!

Despite the current interest in fitness and the explosion of new
ways to consume energy drinks and exercise, Americans are still
gaining weight. With all the knowledge we are armed with, we are
nonetheless eating 25% more than in 1960 and our activity level
has decreased by 25%. The obesity rate has increased to an
alarming 62%, and it all boils down to lifestyle.

Obesity has no specific symptoms. Eating an unhealthy diet does
not give you "instant feedback" as to what your diet is doing to
your body. To add insult to injury, poor diets today co-exist
with a sedentary lifestyle we did not have the luxury of living
40 years ago. Choosing the drive-thru window to purchase a
super-size McDonalds meal sums it up quite nicely.

If being overweight isn't enough of a challenge, what's worse is
it increases your risk of developing high cholesterol, high
blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, osteo-arthritis, cancer and a
plethora of other diseases. Is being lazy and always making your
food choice based on what's yummy really worth this decrease in
the quality of living?

If you are part of the obesity epidemic and are sick and tired
of being overweight, all you need to do is make a few lifestyle
changes to get back on the road to good health. Weight loss is
just the beginning, and the road is long, but the rewards of
living healthy make the journey worthwhile in more ways than
one. Here are 6 steps to achieving a healthy weight and keeping
it for life.

Step 1 - Determine Your Healthy Weight Not everyone is built the
same, so therefore not everyone can look the same. The rate at
which people lose weight also varies. Find your numbers on a BMI
(Body Mass Index) and use that as a starting point to determine
your goals.

Step 2 - Set Realistic Goals Losing weight, while enhancing your
health is a gradual process. Forget about the person you saw in
the magazine who had the body you wanted. Reaching for your
first small goals is much more productive than worrying about
how you will eventually look. Women should plan to lose 1-2
pounds per week, while men should plan to lose 2-3 pounds per
week.

Step 3 - Forget About The Scale You will lose inches faster than
pounds, which is the true measure of decreased body fat. Muscle
weighs more than fat, but is denser, so it takes up less space.
Weight and measure once a week, preferably at the same time of
day. Too many people get hung up on weighing themselves every
single day. They get discouraged easily and they quit.

Step 4 - Find A Healthy Weight Loss Program Direct-selling
companies, provide an array of meal replacements, healthy
snacks, and herbal accelerators that you cannot find in a store.
The distributors with these companies provide the support needed
to help you believe in yourself. Confidence is needed to change
eating habits and lose weight.

Step 5 - Follow Your Plan Without Excuses I lost 70 pounds in 3
months and have kept it off for over 15 years simply by
following a plan already laid out for me. I replaced 2 meals per
day with soy protein-based shakes, and ate healthy snacks 3-4
times per day. I never skipped breakfast but at the same time
did not make it a feast. I also drank 5-6 eight ounce glasses of
fresh water daily.

Step 6 - Expect To Slip Once In A While No one is perfect, and
changing your eating habits take s a lot of work and will power.
If it was easy, everyone would be thin and healthy. Allow
yourself to break from your routine every once in a while. This
is a lifestyle change, not punishment. When you slip and regret
it the next day, don't beat yourself up over it. Just get back
on your track.

Just because you have the option of living a lazy life doesn't
mean you have to choose it. If computers and televisions have
slowly replaced the short walks and bike rides around your
neighborhood that you once loved, by all means get back out
there.

Very few people were obese before the remote control was
invented. Think about it.

About the author:
Bill Winch is a Personal Wellness Coach whose mission is
teaching and coaching others who are struggling with losing
weight safely and keeping it off for good. To receive his Free
Report "9 Weight Loss Myths Exposed," visit his website and
click on FREE
REPORT or call him directly at (585) 271-3767 for a free
wellness consultation.

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