How to change Unhealthy Weight Loss Behaviors

How to change Unhealthy Weight Loss Behaviors

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is important for your overall health. It is natural to want to lose weight quickly, using whatever methods seem fastest. However, losing weight in a healthy way is not a quick process. Instead, aim for slow, steady weight loss.

What lifestyle changes can be made?

You can make certain lifestyle changes to help you lose weight in a healthy way. These include eating nutritious foods and exercising regularly.

What to avoid:

  • Following a diet that restricts entire types of food.
  • Skipping meals to save calories. It is especially important to eat breakfast.
  • Not eating anything for long periods of time (fasting).
  • Restricting your calories to far less than the amount that you need to lose or maintain a healthy weight.
  • Compulsively getting an extreme amount of exercise.
  • Taking laxative pills to make you have more frequent bowel movements.
  • Taking medicines to make your body lose excess fluids (diuretics).
  • Eating an excessive amount of food (bingeing), then making yourself vomit (purging).

Healthy behaviors:

  • Eat a variety of healthy foods, including:
    • Fruits and vegetables.
    • Whole grains.
    • Lean proteins.
    • Low-fat dairy products.
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
  • Plan healthy, low-calorie meals. Work with a nutrition specialist (dietitian) to make a healthy meal plan that works for you and to make an exercise program.
    • Include different types of exercise in your exercise program, such as strengthening, aerobic, and flexibility exercises.
    • To maintain your weight, get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week. Moderate-intensity exercise could be brisk walking or biking.
    • To lose a healthy amount of weight, get 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each day.
  • Find ways to reduce stress, such as regular exercise or meditation.
  • Find a hobby or other activity that you enjoy to distract you from eating when you feel stressed or bored.

Why are these changes important?

Making these changes will improve your overall health. Maintaining a healthy weight also lowers your risk of certain conditions, including:

  • Heart disease.
  • High cholesterol.
  • High blood pressure.
  • Type 2 diabetes.
  • Stroke.
  • Osteoarthritis.
  • Osteoporosis.
  • Some types of cancer.
  • Breathing and sleeping disorders.

What can happen if changes are not made?

Using disordered eating or other unhealthy eating behaviors to try to lose weight can cause:

  • Fatigue.
  • Imbalances in electrolytes and chemicals that your body needs to work properly.
  • Organ damage or failure, especially of the kidneys.
  • Dehydration.
  • Imbalances in body fluids.
  • Low heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Thin bones that break easily.
  • Social isolation or relationship problems with your friends and family.
  • Emotional distress, including depression and anxiety.
  • A greater risk of an eating disorder.

If you develop an eating disorder, you could develop serious health problems and complications that affect your organs and bodily processes. These include:

  • Dry skin and hair.
  • Hair loss.
  • Fainting.
  • Difficulty getting pregnant.
  • Changes in your heart muscle and the way your heart works.
  • Severe dehydration.
  • Damage to the digestive tract and digestive problems.
  • Long-term (chronic) gastrointestinal problems.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.
  • Heart disease.
  • Type 2 diabetes.

Where to find support

For more support, talk with:

  • Your health care provider or dietitian. Ask about support groups.
  • A mental health care provider.
  • Family and friends.

Where to find more information

Learn more about how to prevent complications from unhealthy weight loss behaviors from:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/getting_started.html
  • National Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders-new-trifold/index.shtml
  • National Eating Disorders Association: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Contact a health care provider if:

  • You often feel very tired.
  • You notice changes in your skin or your hair.
  • You faint because of dehydration or too much exercise.
  • You struggle to change your unhealthy weight loss behaviors on your own.
  • Unhealthy weight loss behaviors are affecting your daily life.
  • You have signs or symptoms of an eating disorder.
  • You have major weight changes in a short period of time.
  • You feel guilty or ashamed about eating or exercising.
  • You have trouble with your relationships because of your weight loss habits.

Summary

  • Aim for slow, steady weight loss by choosing healthy foods, getting enough calories every day, and exercising regularly.
  • If you cannot make these changes by yourself, or if you think that you may have an eating disorder, contact your health care provider.
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