Losing With Style: Question - How can you make losing extra weight and getting fit fun and radical? Answer - Choose the right way for you. Take any of these ideas and do them your way, mix and match, and find what works for you. You can take it slow at first and try one or two of the ideas, then add more as you feel more comfortable. Remember, you can adapt them to fit your life and who YOU are.
“First things First – always lose weight for yourself, not for competition or others, and you’ll have more fun and feel better about it." John H. age 10
To Lose or Not to Lose? Do you really need to lose weight or are you in the right range for your age, size and body type? Everyone can benefit from making better food choices and more physical activity, but you may have some special food or activity issues to consider before choosing what to do. Check with your doctor to see what is right for you.
Getting Started: Forget the idea of “giving up” something, and instead ask “what can I add to my life that will help me get healthier?” There are many easy healthier choices you can make every day that make a big impact over time. After you succeed a few times, the next step is making more healthy choices more often! Don’t be turned off if you have set-backs from time to time. Remember that you can always make new choices starting right now. Learn from any mistakes and keep moving forward! Each moment is a new opportunity.
Pick a few things you see here that feel right for you and start there. You can adapt or add as you go along. If you are the type of person who likes to track your success, we have a sample tool to write down your daily progress and challenges.
What are Good Goals to Start With? Use Your Own Healthy Life Goals, Not Just Diet Goals
Is losing weight too quickly good for you? The answer is no! Although some diets and eating habits can help kids lose weight fast, taking off weight more slowly over a longer time is healthier and better for everyone, especially someone who is still growing. The reason diets don’t work for most people is because as soon as people lose the weight they want, they go right back to their old habits and put the weight back on again over time. It is MUCH BETTER to make healthy choices and changes that work for you so you can keep doing them your whole life. Choose things you can succeed at doing most of the time. If you feel like you are always hungry or not getting to eat anything you enjoy, then you will be more likely to go back to your old habits.