Weight Loss Portland: Reduce Your Risk for Diseases Associated with Being Overweight

17 February 2012, thriveportland on the topic of Medical Weight Loss, Portland Weight Loss, Weight Loss Portland, Weight Loss Program Portland

Shedding excess pounds shouldn’t be about vanity, but about health. According to the National Institutes of Health, having a BMI in the overweight or obese category is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic disease, gallstones and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Here are six ways to get started on the path to healthy weight loss management.

Control Your Portions Serving sizes are smaller than we think they need to be. A serving of chicken, for example, is the size of a deck of playing cards. At home, use a smaller plate or a smaller bowl for meals. Half of all meals should be vegetables or fruit, one-quarter protein, and one-quarter whole grain. When eating at restaurants ask for a to-go container at the start of the meal and take half of your entrée home for tomorrow’s lunch.

Avoid Food that Isn’t Really Food Cut out the hydrogenated this, high-fructose that, artificial colors and flavors and preservatives and sweeteners. If you can’t pronounce it or determine where it came from, don’t eat it. Shop from the perimeter of the store and the baking aisle, where fresh, whole, identifiable, natural foods can be found.

Eat More Vegetables and High Quality Protein It is important to be selective about the protein and meat sources that you consume. We recommend eating grass fed meats, organic eggs, low-fat dairy, and beans to get your daily protein intake. Pairing quality protein with rice, grains, and vegetables will provide plenty of protein while being lower in calories and higher in other nutrients.

Don’t Skip Meals, Especially Breakfast It may seem counter intuitive, but restricting one’s intake can actually put the body into starvation mode, where every calorie and fat cell is stored, because the body thinks there is a famine going on. Three small meals high in protein, fresh vegetables, and whole grains, and two small high-protein snacks should be the goal. Determine your caloric needs with your health care provider, and take care to not slip below the minimum recommended amount, as that can be counterproductive to weight loss progress.

Exercise A combination of aerobic and weight-bearing exercise has the doubly positive effect of burning calories during the workout and increasing metabolism to more efficiently use calories later on. While we may think of exercise as dull go-to-the-gym-and-kill-ourselves-in-spin-class torture, it doesn’t have to be that way. Yoga, Pilates, swimming, belly dancing, trampolining, trapeze class, hula hooping, ballroom dance, even biking those few miles to and from the office all get our bodies moving and our heart rates pumping. Have fun with it!

Ditch the Soda One can of regular soda has approximately 150 calories. And drinking the “0 calorie” diet soda doesn’t mean your body isn’t storing that artificial sweetener as fat. If you need the caffeine boost, try black tea sweetened with agave nectar or honey. Cutting carbonated drinks also helps bone health – carbonation has been linked to calcium leaching from bones, which puts soda drinkers at increased risk of osteoporosis.

If you need more guidance on your weight loss path, the team at Thrive is here to help. Call today to schedule your initial consultation with our weight loss experts. A healthier, more beautiful you is waiting.