Study Reveals the 3 Things You Need to Lose Weight

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• Dieters often spend hours online trying to find the best eating plan or the newest workout trend or the most effective supplements for weight loss.  Many times, the pills are too expensive, the diets are too complicated and the workouts are too exhausting. But a new study finds that all of that work may not be necessary. Researchers found that there are essentially three things you need if you want to lose weight.

3 Things You Need for Weight Loss

So what does it take to lose weight? According to a major review of weight loss studies, dieters who combined these three things were most successful at weight loss.

• How Does This Help Me Lose Weight?A diet that reduced food intake by about 500 calories per day
• More physical activity like walking for 20-25 minutes each day
• Support from a trained professional such as a doctor, registered nurse, or registered dietitian

The study revealed that when dieters did one of the things on the list but not the others they were less successful.  And even dieters who did only two things lost less weight. The biggest losers were those who combined all three: diet, exercise and support.

Maybe the results of the study are not surprising to you. After all, the fact that we need to eat less and move more isn't exactly groundbreaking news.  But there are a few takeaways that may be helpful if you are trying to slim down.

First, don't underestimate the role that your physician can play in your weight loss journey.  Your doctor can help you to understand how weight loss can improve your health.  He or she can also provide support and referrals to other professionals like a registered dietitian who can help make weight loss easier for you.

And lastly, you can't expect big results if you only make small changes. If you really want to lose weight, you need to tackle each of the three tasks if you want to see real results. And you need to be precise in your efforts. Record your daily calorie intake, measure your weekly workouts and stay accountable to a health coach or other professional to reach your weight loss goal and keep the weight off for good. Next, remember that weight loss is about changing your lifestyle, not just your diet.  If you change your eating habits to slim down, that's great.  But you also need to change your daily routine to include enough activity for weight loss and you need to connect with others to address emotional and behavioral changes as well.

 

By Malia Frey

Weight Loss Expert

http://weightloss.about.com/od/Weight-Loss-Basics/fl/Study-Reveals-the-3-Things-You-Need-to-Lose-Weight.htm