Consumers continue to spend billions each year on weight loss products, yet obesity rates continue to rise. With so many program options available on the market, it is advisable to choose a program that promotes behavior change. An effective program should recommend healthy eating habits, help you change your lifestyle, and improve your physical activity. Many people assume that being overweight is a temporary problem that can be treated with a strict diet for a few months. However, weight management is a lifelong endeavor. All training must address long-term approaches. Otherwise, the program will end up being a waste of time and money. A good weight loss program has:
- Behavior change
Generally, weight maintenance can be challenging if not implemented consistently. Therefore, an effective program must contain adequate weight maintenance plans to avoid regaining the lost weight. The program should help you think in a completely different way to ensure long-term success. You should replace faulty thinking with positive, productive thought patterns to support your defined health goals.
- Credible and safe
A quality program must be facilitated by an accredited provider, such as a registered dietitian, health coach, licensed psychologist / counselor, certified fitness professional, and licensed medical professional (for example, registered nurse and physician). Also, an effective program must be safe. Therefore, it is recommended that a healthcare provider evaluate your health status before enrolling in a particular weight loss program. The supplier will be in a position to offer all necessary precautions.
- Flexible and realistic
In general, workouts that promote rigid exercise plans or rigid diets are doomed to fail. A quality program should be flexible enough, taking into account your preference for physical activity and food. To ensure long-term success, a program must support a lifestyle change that you will be able to live with. An effective program must promote realistic results. Therefore, programs that claim to “lose 20 pounds in a week”, however flashy, are not realistic. This is because permanent weight loss is achieved through a gradual loss of ½ pound to 2 pounds each week. A program that does not include data on the average level of weight loss and long-term follow-up of the participants is questionable.
- Regular exercise
Physical exercise is the backbone of an effective program. Proper exercises help you not lose weight, counteract emotional eating, increase intellectual capacity and improve your mood. Therefore, an effective program should seek to promote tips for making physical activity an important part of daily life.