How to Lose Weight

This can be a frustrating experience for all of us, especially when we felt we were finally starting to get a handle on building positive lifestyle habits and managing our weight. These periodic food cravings that get out of hand can sabotage our efforts to improve our health.

If this is a problem for you, you're not alone. Up to a third of people who are overweight struggle with binge eating. For most people, binges happen three to five times a week, and usually consist of high fat foods. This behavior is such a problem and so prevalent that it's actually been diagnosed by medical professionals and given a name—Binge Eating Disorder. Bear in mind, however, that there's a difference between a periodic binge (who doesn't eat a few too many when making chocolate chip cookies?) and the disorder. If binges happen several times a week and are out of control, then you probably have Binge Eating Disorder.

If you even suspect you may have this disorder, you should seek help. Why? Because positive lifestyle changes that you make can be counteracted by binge eating. In fact, if you've tried to lose weight in the past without success, Binge Eating Disorder could have been the reason. So you need to address this disorder separately from your efforts to lose weight.

The two professionals to seek out for help with Binge Eating Disorder are a licensed therapist who specializes in eating disorders and a registered dietitian. They can help get the binges under control. During this period in counseling, you won't be focusing specifically on losing weight. The focus is on the issues that can trigger the binges. Once you're better able to manage the binging, you can look toward real success with managing weight.

So what is weight anyway? What does that number on the scale really tell you? You could see three people who all weigh the exact same amount, but whose bodies look totally different. One could be a short athlete. One could be tall and thin. One could be pregnant. A 300-pound couch potato would look nothing like one of those linemen from the National Football League. Yes, most of them weigh over 300 pounds, but many have a very low percentage of body fat. They have masses of muscle developed by working out several hours each day.

The point is that we give too much weight to that number on the scale when we're trying to lose weight. We've all been there before we have a great week, really watching what we're eating and exercising on three days. On Saturday, we hop on the scale and find that we've lost only one-fourth of a pound. We get discouraged and wonder if it's even worth the effort.

We all need to keep in mind that weight can fluctuate on a weekly basis for a variety of reasons—how much fluids we've had to drink, where a woman is in her menstrual cycle, and so forth. On a long-term basis, weight may not go down as quickly as we'd like for the simple reason that muscle weighs more than fat. By getting active, we're building muscle and burning calories. As we combine healthier eating with this activity, we're losing even more fat. So our weight may not drop dramatically Yet, this is a good thing. We want to lose fat and gain muscle. Although some of us can't resist using a scale as a measurement of our progress, we shouldn't weigh ourselves more than once a week, and we need to keep in mind why the number change may be small.

But the scale is only one way to measure success. Another way to look at the real strides you're making toward a healthier life is to use the tape measure one more time. If y* think it would be useful to you, measure various parts of your body either on your own or with the help of a supportive friend or family member (or even an employee at your health club). The most common measurements done include the upper arm, neck, chest, waist, hips, and thighs. It can be helpful to keep a record of the numbers in a notebook or other convenient place and to repeat the process every two months or so.

As you initially lose weight and start to tone up, you'll find the inches decreasing in almost every area. But you need to be forewarned that if you exercise consistently, some numbers, such as your arms and chest, may start to increase again. This is a good thing. It means you're gaining muscle.

By using the tape you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results and decrease your dependence on the scale. You'll realize you've found a new measure of success—inches.