Anyone who is significantly overweight or obese and who wishes to lose weight should consult with their GP, doctor, occupational therapist or other medical specialist before embarking on any dietary or exercise related program.

Changing lifestyle will make different and often challenging demands on the body of any significantly overweight individual and for this reason a controlled and supervised approach to weight loss is advisable. Taking the advice and recommendations of medical experts who are familiar with you and your situation will also enhance your chances of successfully achieving your goals.

Steps to take

The biggest single step is the decision and commitment to yourself (and no one else) to lose weight and improve your lifestyle. You can only succeed if you, rather than others, are the instigator of any lifestyle changes that you make.

The support of friends, relatives and colleagues will always help, but the motivation and driving force must be yours and not others. Most people who fail to lose weight do so because they are not totally committed, so if you fall into that category now may not be the best time to make this life changing commitment.

If you really do want to lose weight, do not under estimate the size and challenge of the task ahead. Many people fail because they make the decision to lose weight with unrealistic expectations. This is where professional help, a carefully put together diet and exercise plan, combined with realistic targets will prove invaluable.

Many people who diet do so quite successfully, but their own expectations are too high and they consider what is actually more than adequate progress to be failure.

Once you have decided to diet and increase your exercise levels be sure to make a plan and do not start your lifestyle changing project until your plan is complete. A diet just like any other task has a better chance of success if it is carefully mapped out with objectives, measurable targets and "importantly" rewards for achievement.

So the next step is to see your doctor or physician and through him or her get a diet and exercise plan. You may decide to go it alone, or seek the support of a diet club like Weight Watchers, Slimming World etc. Here the choice is yours - some people like a large support group with lots of encouragement whilst others like to go it alone.

Consider how your diet and lifestyle changes will affect the other people who you live with and who you come into contact with. For example, your dietary needs will change the way that meals are prepared and eaten in your home and you need to know that any family members that you live with will support these changes.

Look for any obstacles, problems or bends in the road ahead. Being able to anticipate these difficulties will make them easier to deal with if and when they arise.

As with all things in life planning is critical, so think of your diet and exercise plan as an ongoing project. Chart and celebrate any successes (however small they may seem) and look at different ways of overcoming problems and obstacles. Do not think of, or use the words, “fail” and “failure”. If you do not succeed with a particular target you can simply try again. Also, set lots of small and easy to achieve targets rather than large tough ones. Success breeds success, so use this approach to your advantage, you can set more challenging goals at a later stage once you are motivated by past successes.

Recognise your successes. These achievements may come in different forms, so be aware that weight loss is only “one measure” of success. Look at and evaluate any improvements in mobility, energy levels or feelings of wellbeing. These factors may not appear on your scales, but in reality they are more important and genuinely indicate that you are improving your health and lifestyle.

Look at immediate targets rather than the long term goal. Looking too far ahead can be discouraging. Losing 3 pounds in a week sounds achievable, but losing 100 pounds sounds like a much more daunting task. Divide big targets up into much smaller and achievable ones and concentrate on what you have already achieved rather than what lies ahead.

Rewards and recognition – Any good diet should ensure that you eat healthily, however this should not mean that you cannot have treats from time to time. However, earn these treats and see them as rewards for achievements. This gives you something to aim for and a sense of success when you feel that you deserve them. If you use bariatric aids or equipment to help you in your everyday activities and you become less dependent on this type of equipment, then this should be seen as an achievement and the accomplishment of a target. Again it deserves a reward.

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