In the past, people were not as concerned with their weight as they are today. Most everyone is looking for ways to lose weight. Yet there are so many ways people can use to lose weight. If you go to your browser and search how to lose weight, you will see the results showing over millions of articles on this topic. In this read, we wish to highlight weight loss programs for women that work.
Weight Loss
There are so many factors that affect weight loss. Examples of such factors include; age, ethnicity, sleeping habits, family history and genes, underlying medical conditions, gender, and so much more. Since all these factors are subject to a variability among different people, losing weight is not the same process for everyone. No one weight loss program fits all people. That is why when choosing a weight loss program, you should look for a weight loss program that fits your goals, budget and lifestyle. The rate at which different people drop those extra pounds also varies. Some people lose weight quickly and others take a long time to do so.
For example, women are believed to lose weight at a slower rate compared to men. The reason for this could be due to muscle mass. Men have more muscle as compared to women. Muscles have a higher resting metabolism in comparison to fat mass. This thus results in men burning more calories at rest compared to women. Another reason for this could be hormonal differences between the two genders.
As hard as losing weight might be, sustaining the weight loss is even harder. Most weight loss programs will promise you quick weight loss but not sustainable weight loss. They provide a quick fix solution but not a permanent one.
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Weight Loss Basics
When it comes to losing weight, there is only one standard you need to meet which is that you need to burn more calories than you take in. You can achieve this by dieting or working out. Although this seems like it is straightforward, it is not as easy as it sounds. There are so many things that can hinder this including stress, busy schedules, bad sleeping habits, and so on. In case this becomes the situation, here are some resources that might turn out to be helpful for you:
1. Give up the weight-loss obsession (6)
I know, you are now wondering how this might be helpful. Sometimes we become so obsessed with weight loss that we become stressed about it. Stress and weight loss don’t go together. If you are stressed, you are likely to stress eat which results in your taking in more calories than you burn. In the end, you will gain weight instead of losing it. Focus on other goals like being more fit, being stronger and they will help you achieve weight loss without you having to stress.
2. Stay motivated (6)
The weight loss journey is not easy. There are days you just want to sit down with a bowl of ice cream and devour the whole of it. There are times you don’t want to go to the gym. For you to lose weight, you have to do all the necessary things that will help you achieve that goal. You have to be motivated so that you can do all that needs to be done even when you don’t want to. A good way to stay motivated is to reward yourself for any small achievement you make. If you lose 2 pounds, buy yourself a dress that you’ve been wanting.
3. Make your weight loss program fun (6)
The key to losing weight and keeping the weight that you lost away, is making your weight loss program sustainable. One way of doing this is by making it fun. Doing something with friends is always fun, why don’t you go on a weight loss program with your best friends?
4. Restriction isn’t the way to go (3)
Research shows that diets that are not restrictive lead to better long-term adherence. That makes you wonder why so many people are still on a restrictive diet. Most join restrictive diet regimes due to their fast results not knowing the key is not losing weight fast but sustainably losing weight. The reason restrictive diets don’t work in the long term is that as soon as you go back to your normal eating habits, you gain back all the weight you had lost and even more. The worst thing about restrictive diets is that you can’t follow them for a very long time as they may result in malnutrition and may also cause some health issues. Research shows that the number one factor in successful weight loss is adherence. You need a diet you can stick to for the long haul for you to experience sustainable weight loss.
5. Maintain variety (3)
Variety is the spice of life. Just because your goal is to eat fewer calories it doesn’t mean you should get those few calories from the same foods. Diets are usually more successful when they offer a wide variety of foods. This helps you feel less restricted and you end up enjoying the diet. When diets prevent you from eating certain foods or groups of food, you will feel as if you are missing something and in true sense, you are actually missing something. Try to include different foods in your weight loss program for better results.
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How To Choose A Weight Loss Program That Works For You
There are so many weight loss programs that you can choose from as a woman but from all those weight loss programs you can not ensure success. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a weight loss program for women:
The First Thing To Consider
The first thing you need to look for is a weight loss program that easily fits into your lifestyle and food preferences. If a weight loss program easily fits into your work schedule, the things you like doing or eating then that should be the weight loss program that you go for. When it comes to your food preference if you like eating meat, going for a plant-based diet would be setting yourself up for failure. Remember, the key is to go for a weight loss program you can sustain for a long time. If it easily fits into your lifestyle it means then you won’t be able to make so many changes to your lifestyle and so will be easy to sustain in the long haul.
The Second Thing To Consider
The second thing to consider while choosing a weight loss program is to go for programs that have been backed up by research. Don’t just go for any weight loss program just because people are talking about it. People have a thing for what is hyped just for the sake of it. A good example of this is this banana-only diet and the egg-only diet which people are always being hyped. Both these diets are highly restrictive, have high chances of promoting malnutrition, and yet people are always talking about them.
Do your research and see evidence-based results for the diet you are about to choose. Look at the pros and cons of the diet. Look at what different researchers and experts are saying about it. If you are not sure about the diet you’ve chosen or the weight loss program you’ve chosen, you can always consult an expert as they are the best people to help you in making this important decision.
Other Suggestions
Go for weight loss programs that are realistic and sustainable. Steer clear of diets that offer quick weight loss . Diets that offer a weight loss of about 10 pounds or more in a week should be avoided. The recommended rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds in a week. Avoid diets that are also highly restrictive, like the banana only diet. They are first of all highly restrictive and hence not sustainable and secondly, they will likely cause malnutrition since no single food can provide you with all the nutrients you need.
You should also keep clear of weight loss programs that require you to buy expensive products or supplements so that you can achieve your desired results. Good weight loss programs should incorporate healthy lifestyle habits like working out and mindful eating. Using supplements to attain weight loss is not the way to go.
If you have a health condition, you need to consult an expert before you can choose a weight loss program (5). You don’t want to go for one that will cause more harm than good. Experts are the best people to give you guidance on this.
These are some of the things you should consider before choosing a weight loss program.
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Best Weight Loss Programs For Women
There are so many weight programs that are effective when it comes to weight loss for women. Here are some examples:
Meal Replacement Diets
This diet plan comes in different variations. There is a variation that replaces meals with premade meal replacements and shakes while there is also another one that only replaces a single meal in a day with a shake or any other food replacement (4).
The main aim of meal replacement diets is to create a calorie deficit that promotes weight loss. According to different researchers, meal replacements actually do work to promote weight loss. They work in the sense that when you replace a high-calorie meal with a low-calorie meal it creates a calorie deficit in that you are taking less than your body burns hence leading to weight loss.
The downside of these diets is that since they mostly require prepackaged meals and shakes, they can be a bit expensive for some people (4). Some people find it difficult to only eat premade shakes or meals. Something else that people don’t like about these diets is the fact that sometimes the premade meals and shakes are made with low-quality ingredients, have preservatives, and sometimes lack all the necessary nutrients (4). People also find it hard to go back to normal eating habits after they get hooked to this meal plan. Although they have those disadvantages, they actually are effective when it comes to weight loss.
Weight Watchers
This is a weight loss program that uses a points-based system to promote long-lasting weight loss which can also be sustained. How it works is that foods and drinks are each allocated certain points (1). Example, you might find bananas are 2 points. The members of this diet plan are hence each given a certain number of points to get to each day. This weight loss program is flexible as you can eat all foods as long as you don’t go beyond your points limit.
Weight Watchers promotes weight loss in that since everyone has a specific point they are not supposed to exceed, those points usually lead you to eat less food than you would normally eat hence promoting weight loss (8). The clearest downside to this weight loss plan is the fact that you always have to keep count of everything you eat so that you don’t exceed your points and this might be tiring to do.
The Mayo Clinic Diet
The main aim of this diet is to help you lose weight and to find you a habit of eating that can sustain you all the days of your life (9). It works by changing your daily routines by either adding some foods to your diet or breaking some unhealthy habits. It also focuses on eating healthy foods that taste great and increasing your physical activity (9). The best thing about this diet is that it can be modified to meet your own needs, which is something important as people are different and have different needs and weight goals.
This diet helps one lose weight by promoting the eating of healthy foods in healthy proportions and increasing your physical activity.
Keto Diet
This is a low carb diet. What this diet does is that it reduces the intake of carbohydrates and increases the intake of fats. Protein intake mostly remains at the same level. The body uses carbohydrates for energy. What the keto diet does is that it forces the body to rely on fats for energy (7). When there is not enough stored glucose, the body breaks down fats into ketones in the liver. When your body breaks fats for energy you start losing weight as the stored fat is not being converted into ketones. Another thing that makes this diet effective when it comes to weight loss is the fact that it takes more energy to burn fats compared to burning carbs and so it helps in creating a calorie deficit.
Vegetarian diet
This diet involves focusing on removing animal products from your diet. There are many different variations of this diet (8). Some variations allow people to eat some animal products but in low amounts. Other variations allow only milk and eggs as the only animal products that can be taken while others prevent all animal products from being consumed. A big advantage of this diet is the fact that it is cost-friendly(8). Most vegetables and fruits are cheaper in cost as compared to most meats.
This diet is also known to promote weight loss. Studies show people who follow vegetarian diets lose more weight compared to people who consume meat and other animal products (8). Most vegetables have a high fibre content which helps with weight loss. Fibre makes one feel full faster and longer. This reduces the number of calories you take in, leading to a calorie deficit. Another advantage of this diet is the fact that fruits and vegetables are usually packed with many nutrients that the body needs. The downside to this diet is that one may lack some nutrients that can only be found in animal products.
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Pescatarian Diet
This is a plant-based diet that also includes fish and seafood. This diet excludes beef, poultry, eggs, dairy, honey and other animal products apart from fish and other seafood (2). Studies show that people who follow this diet have a lower body mass index compared to people who are non-vegetarians. This diet is also known to improve the overall quality of life by reducing the risks of getting certain health conditions like cardiovascular diseases and so on. Unlike being vegan, people in this diet can get nutrients that are only found in animal products from fish and the other seafood that they can eat.
Mediterranean Diet
This diet includes eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, proteins, seeds and various healthy fats. People on this diet are encouraged to stay away from processed foods and foods with added sugar (8). This diet is also effective when it comes to weight loss since most foods in this diet are low-calorie foods. To experience the most out of this diet, you should pair it with a workout program. This diet is also known to prevent various chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases (8).
Carb Cycling
The concept of carb cycling is very easy. You eat a lot of carbs when you need them and try to keep them at a minimum when you don’t need them (2). You are likely to need carbs when you are training as they will help provide the required energy during your workout and enable you to be effective in your workout session so that you will be burning those calories and the ones that are stored resulting in weight loss. During days when you are resting, you don’t need as much energy, meaning that you take little amounts of carbohydrates.
Intermittent Fasting
There are many variations of this diet but all work to create a calorie deficit. In the 5:2 intermittent fasting, you eat all you want during the first five days and fast during the last two days (2). This works to create a calorie deficit in your weekly calorie consumption. There is also the 16:8 variation where you fast for 16 hours then you can eat during the last 8 hours of the day (2). This helps create a daily caloric deficit. All of these variations of the intermittent fasting promote weight loss, which is good news for women who can use them to cut off those extra pounds.
The Bottom Line
All these weight loss programs for women are effective when it comes to cutting those extra pounds. It is important to combine these weight loss programs with a workout program to get better results. When choosing the workout program to follow choose one that fits your lifestyle and equally importantly is easy for you to sustain.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- 11 Best Weight Loss Programs for Women That Really Work (2020, womansworld.com)
- 22 Weight Loss Diets Reviewed & Debunked by the Experts: Eat Well, Not Less (2020, womenshealthmag.com)
- Best weight loss program: Experts evaluate Weight Watchers, Noom, Jenny Craig and more (2020, cnet.com)
- Best weight loss programs for women (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
- Choosing a Weight Loss Program (2020, webmd.com)
- Exercise and Weight Loss for Women (2020, verywellfit.com)
- Top 3 Weight Loss Programs For Women (2018, skinnyms.com)
- The 16 Best Weight Loss Programs of 2020 (2020, healthline.com)
- The Mayo Clinic Diet: A weight-loss program for life (2019, mayoclinic.org)
