The United States has a significant obesity problem with both adults and children. The weight loss industry is a significant one as people try to find different ways to lose weight. While many look for an easy way to lose weight, the facts on weight loss are pretty clear.
To safely lose one pound a week, you have to create a 500-calorie deficit every day. This means you need to either reduce your food intake, increase your physical activity, or a combination of both to end each day burning 500 more calories than you took in. This requires a weight loss plan that understands the dynamics of healthy weight loss.
According to most research, an individual needs to burn 3,500 calories in order to lose one pound of fat. However, that has to be a deficit. Simply burning 3,500 calories during a workout won’t result in weight loss if you are eating 5,500 calories. In fact, if you are overeating, you can still gain weight despite exercising.
One study suggests that successful weight loss must include actively calorie counting, tracking fat intake, or a combination of both. There is a saying in the weight loss world that you cannot out run a bad diet, which speaks to this issue directly. It doesn’t matter how much you exercise if your weight loss plan does not include a reduction in calories and fat intake.
The majority of adults in the United States are overweight, obese, or extremely obese. Excess weight causes a wider range of health problems including high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes. These are significant health problems that can each lead to death.
In addition to serious health problems, being overweight or obese can negatively impact quality of life. It will impact your breathing, flexibility, and energy levels; all of which can negatively impact your physical activity. Reduced physical activity then leads to further weight gain. It is a vicious cycle that can only be defeated if tackled on multiple fronts simultaneously.
Those interested in gaining control, getting healthier, and losing weight need a weight loss plan that will provide a clear outline for both diet and exercise. For those looking for weight loss help, there are many medical weight loss programs that may be able to help.
For those that are obese or extremely obese, professional advice should be sought before making any dramatic life changes. When personal health is already in jeopardy, sudden changes to diet or over doing physical activity can further health problems.
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