There are several artificial methods designed to help individuals lose weight, but
once that weight is lost, the best way to help keep it off is not with a pill, supplement,
or medical procedure, but through regular exercise and a well-designed diet plan.
There comes a point in everyone's life, usually around the age of thirty, when the
body's metabolism begins to slow down. It is as this point that the body loses the
ability to break down food as fast as it once did. Weight gain is almost a certainty
at this point. People don't have to wait until that threshold is reached however.
Developing healthy eating habits and a regular exercise routine in your twenty's
will usually translate into better health in your thirty's (and beyond).
Though it is never too late to start, and thirty certainly is not too late, changing
your lifestyle at a young age will prevent health problems in the future. The following
are ten tips designed to help you manage your weight, regardless of how old you
are when you start.
1. Go ahead and snack between meals.
Snacking between meals helps keep you from feeling hungry (which eventually turns
into overeating) and also helps maintain your metabolism working at a constant rate.
Skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can cause your body to store fats
and carbs because it thinks it is being starved. Help avoid this by eating a healthy
snack in between the day's larger meals.
2. Start your dinner off with a salad or any other healthy appetizer.
Overeating is a major cause of weight gain, and a stumbling block for anyone trying
to maintain their weight. Begin your dinner with a low carb or low calorie appetizer
like a salad. With this initial meal, you will find yourself less likely to overeat
during dinner.
3. Count your calories.
Counting calories might seem like a daunting task, but it does not have to be an
exact count. Most people can function properly on a diet of 2000 calories or so.
However, the more active their lifestyle is, the more calories they need. If you
find yourself eating more calories than you are burning off, you are going to have
problems maintaining your weight. Keep track of your calories. If you need to eat
more, then you are going to have to balance them out with some additional exercise.
4. Practice portion control.
Eating a healthy meal does nothing to help you maintain your weight if you do not
practice portion control. If the serving size on a product asks you to eat a cup,
then eat a cup.