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4 essential components to weight management in Northern Virginia
February 10, 2022 at 7:00 AM
4 essential components to weight management in Northern Virginia

It’s not uncommon to set goals to lose weight or improve your overall health at the start of the year. While many of us set these goals, we don’t always go about them the best way as we might not know what exactly we need to do. With help from Step by Step Wellness & Weight Loss, you can get started with four essential components to weight management in Northern Virginia. With these five components, you can get started on our path to losing weight and improving your health.

Keeping a food journal

Some days it’s easy to munch your way through an afternoon at work or home. You’re not always thinking about what you’re eating. You just need something to crunch on for a few hours to help pass the time. The problem with regular snacking is that it’s not very satisfying to our hunger or desire to eat, so we continue to do it until we’re full. Eventually, you could end up eating an entire meal’s worth of calories between lunch and dinner.

Keep a food journal to track the foods you’re eating throughout the day. At first, you’ll probably be surprised at how much you’re eating, which will make it easier to cut back. If you’re worried about counting calories in your food journal, don’t start with that right away. Simply get started by writing down the foods you eat to be more aware of them. You can start keeping track of calories as you get more involved with your food journal.

Set reasonable expectations

It’s not unusual to get overzealous with goals. You might start the year and say to yourself, “I’m going to do a great job with my eating and exercising so that I can lose 50 pounds this year.” While you might have 50 pounds or more to lose, that’s a lot of weight to lose in a year. It’s going to take a lot of time, dedication, and work to reach your goal, and you might start to feel discouraged early if you’re not reaching the benchmarks you’ve set to get there. Start with small goals that are reasonably attainable, then work up to the larger and more advanced goals. You’ll get there, but it takes one step at a time.

Accountability

Going through a weight management program on your own can be challenging. You’re going to hit roadblocks or snags along the way and you’re going to want to quit. Working with someone who can hold you accountable for your goals and the things you should be doing to meet them is a great way to ensure you continue the process. Get a friend to go through a weight loss program with you or hire a trainer or coach. Whoever it is, make sure they hold you accountable for skipping out on healthy meals or a workout.

Making lifestyle changes

A significant part of going through a weight management program is reprogramming yourself with healthy habits. You might not have realized it, but unhealthy habits are what caused your weight gain in the first place. So, it makes sense that healthy habits will reverse the process. What’s more, your healthy habits are what will keep the weight off, so you don’t have to go through reprogramming again.

Your lifestyle changes will often include:

  • What you eat
  • When you eat
  • Activity level
  • Drinking water

It’s not easy creating new habits, but your ability to change your everyday lifestyle will go a long way toward healthy living.

Schedule a free consultation

You can get started on the path to better health with weight management in Northern Virginia. Get in touch with Step by Step Wellness & Weight Loss today to schedule a free consultation. We can work together to create an effective program that will help you create healthy habits that last a lifetime. Call 703-230-0100 or send a message using the contact form. You can also book your appointment using the scheduling tool.