What’s the Healthiest, Most Sustainable Way to Lose Weight?
If you struggle to maintain a healthy weight, you’re not alone: Nearly 75% of adults in the United States are either overweight or obese. Recent polling suggests that at least 55% of Americans want to drop excess pounds, but only about one out of four seriously try.
Statistics like these are often cited as evidence of just how challenging weight management is for many people. What the statistics don’t reveal, however, is how achievable and sustainable weight loss can be with the right mindset, information, strategies, and support.
That’s exactly what you can expect with our individually tailored, medically supervised weight loss approach at Cosmetico MedSpa. Here, our board-certified expert Dr. Nidal Hasan discusses the main elements of healthy, long-term weight loss.
First, say goodbye to weight loss fads
Whether you’ve tried them yourself or know someone who has, you’ve probably already learned that most popular weight loss and diet fads don’t live up to their hype. Before you commit to a healthy, sustainable weight loss plan, take a moment to recognize that it’s never healthy or sustainable to lose weight by:
- Cutting out an entire nutrient group (i.e., carbs)
- Limiting your caloric intake to starvation levels
- Skipping meals or adhering to a liquid diet
- Regularly exercising to the point of exhaustion
- Exercising more than you can sustain long-term
- Taking unapproved weight loss supplements
Rapid weight loss — or dropping more than two pounds a week — isn’t considered healthy, sustainable, or advisable unless it’s done under the guidance of a medical professional to help someone with severe obesity jumpstart their weight loss process.
Get clear on your weight loss intentions
Realizing that you’re ready and motivated to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way is the first step toward success. The next step? Getting clear on your weight loss intentions, also known as your personal motivators. You may want to lose weight to:
- Reduce your risk of chronic illness
- Slow or stop chronic disease progression
- Ease joint pain
- Get fitter and stronger
- Improve your sleep
- Feel more energized
- Fit into a smaller size
- Have better sex
Defining your intentions has the power to keep you genuinely motivated — even through challenging weight-loss plateaus — as you work toward your weekly, monthly, and long-term weight management goals.
Key elements of sustainable weight loss
Healthy weight loss is gradual: Most people should aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week (or up to eight pounds per month) through cleaner, healthier eating and increased physical activity. Sustainable weight loss means adapting these new lifestyle habits indefinitely.
Realistic goals
After assessing everything from your previous dieting history, past weight loss/gain, and body composition to your genetic predispositions, health history, and chronic disease needs, we help you set a realistic, achievable goal weight, and map out a detailed, week-by-week plan to help you reach it.
Balanced nutrition
Balanced nutrition is all about providing your body with the right blend of nutrients delivered through the right number of calories to keep you healthy and energized, while simultaneously boosting your metabolism and triggering your natural fat-burning mechanisms.
Wholesome food choices — including fruits, vegetables, legumes, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains — are satiating, heart-healthy, and help facilitate easy weight management.
Regular exercise
Daily exercise helps you gain fitness as you lose fat. Besides boosting your metabolism and helping you shed pounds more efficiently, physical activity tones your muscles, increases your flexibility, improves your cardiovascular endurance, and builds stronger bones and joints.
Your personalized workout plan meets you at your current fitness level and provides ample opportunity for safe advancement as you get stronger. We offer various level-appropriate ways to include cardio, strength, and flexibility training in your weekly routine.
Personalized support
Once the key elements of your weight loss plan are in place, we assess your need for additional support. If you need help jumpstarting your metabolism and reducing unhealthy food cravings, for example, we may prescribe an appetite-suppressing medication for a few weeks.
Sometimes, help with stress reduction or unhealthy behavioral patterns can make all the difference to your weight loss success. Whatever your specific needs, we strive to offer the support you need to continue progressing toward your goal.
A healthier, fitter body is within reach
Ready to reveal your best body? We can help. Call today to learn more about our medically supervised weight loss services at Cosmetico MedSpa office in Munster, Indiana, or Orland Park, Illinois, or use our online booking feature to schedule a consultation any time.